Guyana times 19 january 2018

Tullow Oil, Eco Atlantic entering phase 2 on P13 Orinduik Block

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Friday, January 19, 2018

Issue No. 3455

International workers associations will lobby for Guyana's sugar industry to remain open Page 2

Soldier robbed by bicycle bandits Page 7

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Protected Disclosures Bill 2017 passed

…as PPP/C accuses Govt of legislative P3 plagiarism

Bourda shooting

City Constable slapped with manslaughter charge Page 8

Charity Market Wharf vendors refuse to relocate

Security reform expert hands over ‘dynamic’ P12 report to Govt

Page 14

Another Venezuelan P8 deported Constitutional challenge

Govt mulls external legal P12 services …AG's capacity to defend State cases questioned

...as wharf continues to rapidly deteriorate ...call for swift action from Central Govt

Govt slammed for Mixed reactions failure to protect to $200 garbage fee whistleblowers Page 9

Page 7

…defaulters will see no garbage collection

American P9 Medical Institution not accredited – NAC warns

2 News

friDAY, january 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

International workers associations will lobby for Guyana’s sugar industry to remain open

By Samuel Sukhnandan

T

he International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) has expressed deep concern over the closure of several sugar estates and the impact

“Like we’ve heard, it’s not just figures on paper, but there is a very human impact or cost on those retrenchments. And we take note of the suicides that have taken place” – IUF General Secretary Sue Longley on the local industry.

IUF General Secretary Sue Longley, who is in Guyana for an official visit and a workshop, told Guyana Times on Thursday that her organisation has been paying keen attention to the developments.

“We have been following this closely for some time.

We’ve worked historically in sugar to improve work-

ing conditions with a view to having a stronger and healthy sugar sector in the Caribbean,” she said.

The IUF official noted that it has been a concern for her organisation with the changes taking place in the Caribbean regarding sugar, starting with St Kitts and Barbados. “We were hoping that remaining producers like Guyana would remain very much committed to the industry,” she added.

Longley stated that the IUF has been receiving regular updates on the developments within the local Guyanese sugar industry from affiliate trade unions like the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE).

“Sugar is important in Guyana and we were hoping maybe against general investment patterns that Guyana would be able to maintain a strong and vibrant sugar sector,” she explained.

“So, we remain very worried about the developments and we are committed to working with our affiliates here so that workers are treated well if closure has to take place. And we will also be lobbying to make sure that there is a sugar sector going forward,” the IUF official

Enmore Estate

IUF General Secretary Sue Longley

added.

Asked to comment on the manner in which the retrenchment has happened so far, Longley said, “Like we’ve heard, it’s not just figures on paper, but there is a very human impact or cost on those retrenchments. And we take note of the suicides that have taken place.”

On that note, she said if retrenchment has to be done, then it must be done fairly in negotiation with the unions.

“There should be fair treatment and recognition of what those workers contributed to the economy and in particular. I think it is important that these retrenchments take place in transparent and open discussions and those

GAWU President Komal Chand

settlements are negotiated with the unions that represent those workers.”

Visits

Meanwhile, GAWU President Komal Chand told this publication that Longley and a team from the Caribbean grouping of the IUF would be visiting affected sugar workers in several parts of the country. He said the visits would help these union officials to have an understanding of the impact workers faced.

“Our main concern right now is to strengthen our solidarity to get more support.

We cannot alone be able to win this fight and challenges.

And these are some real chal-

lenges and issues that threaten our workers’ right to employment and to be able to provide for their families,” he stated.

Many civil society bodies and other interest groups have been urging the coalition Government to rethink the closure of estates and to implement plans that would tackle the welfare of workers.

In its end-of-year statement, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) highlighted that come 2018, there would, in fact, be 5000 sugar workers who would be left unemployed if Wales was factored into the current numbers. The body is of the view that this action will have “serious repercussions” this year.

In November, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) announced plans to retrench thousands of workers, which it did. GAWU says the downsizing and subsequent closure of sugar es-

tates would lead to the loss of more than 15,000 jobs, and the potential threat of poverty for 50,000 to 100,000 people.

In May 2017, Government announced plans to close the Enmore and Rose Hall Sugar Estates, sell the Skeldon Sugar Factory, reduce the annual production of sugar, and take on the responsibility of managing the drainage and irrigation services offered by GuySuCo. The Special Purpose Unit, which forms part of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), has been mandated to conduct evaluations, surveys and inventory assessments before any steps are taken to actually sell the estates. The SPU has since solicited the assistance of an international financial company to undertake these assessments as part of the plans to downsize the industry.

news

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friDAY, january 19, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, January 19 – 05:00h-06:30h and Saturday, January 20 – 05:00h-06:30h.

Protected Disclosures Bill 2017 passed …as PPP/C accuses Govt of legislative plagiarism

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, January 19 – 05:30h-07:00h and Saturday, January 20 – 06:00h-07:30h.

FERRY SCHEDULE Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery to heavy showers can be expected up to mid afternoon, with light cloud cover giving way to thundery showers in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 23 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East North-easterly between 2.68 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 05:52h and 18:04h reaching maximum heights of 2.54 metres and 2.65 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 11:39h reaching a minimum height of 0.67 metre.

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PPP/C parliamentarian Adrian Anamayah

PPP/C parliamentarian Gillian Burton

he Protected Disclosures Bill 2017 was on Thursday passed in the National Assembly after a heated debate, with the Parliamentary Opposition charging the Government with copying from corresponding laws in other countries and pasting together what it had copied to form most of the draft law.

This charge, which emanated from Opposition Parliamentarian Attorneyat-Law Adrian Anamayah, saw Anamayah acknowledge that there are treaty obligations regarding anti-corruption which Guyana must adhere to, and that whistle blowers must be protected. However, he questioned whether the legislation was indeed following international best practices.

Noting that in developed countries, the standard is to focus the legislation on policing employers, he pointed out that Guyana has not learned from the loopholes of legislation in other jurisdictions. For instance, he pointed out, the legislation does not specifically prevent employers from blacklisting employees.

He also said that, with some exceptions, the draft legislation was copied almost word for word from corresponding legislation in neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago. The problem with this copying, Anamaya noted, is that the actual realities faced in Guyana were not properly taken account of.

“I seem to get the impression that the commission is expected to get 10 (to) 20 complaints a day. I don’t see that happening. So we need to know if it will be a fulltime or part-time commission. A full-time commission will cost money,” he declared.

The lawyer pointed out that since the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) and the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) exist, a Disclosures Commission is unnecessary and nothing more than another opportunity for “jobs for the boys.”

Parliamentarian Gillian Burton expressed concern that the Protected Disclosures Bill has not provided for more representation from all the workers’ unions in Guyana. She noted that there is a potential for conflict when clause four of the bill is considered.

According to clause 4 (a) besides the Chairperson “the four other members of the Commission shall be appointed by the Minister after being elected by the National Assembly from a nominee of the: Integrity Commission, Private Sector Commission, Guyana Bar Association, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana, Guyana Human Rights Association, Guyana Trades Union Congress; and Guyana Police Association, being a retired police officer who was not below the rank of Inspector.”

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan defended the merits of the bill.

Regarding allegations of ‘legislative plagiarism’, Ramjattan noted that it was not unusual for Commonwealth countries to use legislation of similar nature, as it would have been determined that they would have enacted laws of an in-

T

Integrity commission

Anamayah also noted that while the bill entails nominees from the Integrity Commission, the commission is defunct when its sole purpose is to combat corruption. He noted that it is therefore hypocritical of the Government to set up the commission.

Meanwhile, Opposition

ternational standard.

He also responded to Opposition queries as to the usefulness of having a separate commission. According to Ramjattan, it was necessary to have separate staff of a certain standard to validate the veracity of claims.

In the end, the bill was passed in the house. This means that operationalising aspects of the bill, such as the Protected Disclosures Commission, are at the discretion of cabinet.

The Bill

The Protected Disclosures Bill 2017 is an act which sets out to combat corruption and other wrongdoings by encouraging and facilitating disclosures of improper conduct in the public and private sectors; to protect those persons making those disclosures from detrimental action; to establish the Protected Disclosures Commission to receive, investigate, or otherwise deal with disclosures of improper conduct; and to provide for other related matters.

According to Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams, the bill allows an employee who reasonably believes that his employer or another employee of that employer has committed, is committing, or is likely to commit, an improper conduct to make a disclo-

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

sure of the improper conduct to the Commission.

Among other clauses, the act applies to any disclosure made “after the coming into operation of this act where the improper conduct to which the disclosure relates occurred twelve years immediately before the coming into operation of this Act, or occurs after the coming into operation of this act.”

The Commission established under this Act will consist of a chairman, to be appointed by the Minister, and four other members who hold or have held the office of a Judge of the Court of Appeal or High Court, or are qualified for same.

This Bill was initially laid in the National Assembly on November 17, 2017.

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guyanatimesgy.com

friDAY, january 19, 2018

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

AFC’s performance O

n Monday, Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader Raphael Trotman was quoted as saying that while his party’s performance in the coalition Government led by President David Granger was “not perfect”, it has utilised its ministerial and parliamentary seats to make a significant impact on a daily basis.

Trotman, who is a former People’s National Congress (PNC) executive, defended his colleagues vehemently when he was faced with tough media questions about the party’s performance at the level of the Executive and Legislature following its decision to enter a coalition where the PNC was the senior party.

Among other things, Trotman remarked that the AFC executives were “blessed with having oversight” of several ministries as he lauded the performances of Catherine Hughes (Public Telecommunications); David Patterson (Public Infrastructure); and Dominic Gaskin (Business and Tourism). He was even bold enough to mention Noel Holder’s performance (Agriculture) without even mentioning the performances of party ‘elder’ Moses Nagamootoo and Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan (Vice Presidents).

When cornered by more blistering media questions, Trotman was forced to admit that even in light of these sterling performances, the party had “lost touch a bit” with the common issues facing ordinary citizens. He said this was because it had become “bogged down” with governmental matters while fighting to get its agenda through.

Anyone listening to Trotman’s review of his party’s performance would not believe he could seriously be satisfied or comfortable with the less-than-stellar performances of his colleagues in office and the deterioration of the AFC’s political support across the country.

The AFC leader could not seriously reference Holder as one of the Ministers that he was “in awe” over what they had done. While all of the persons Trotman mentioned are professionals in their own right and have made their mark politically since joining the AFC and entering the Legislature as parliamentarians, their performance in the coalition leaves much to be desired.

The coalition Government is facing its biggest crisis and political backlash to date after dismissing thousands of ordinary and hard-working sugar and estate workers from their jobs without a clear plan for handling the socio-economic spin-offs from that decision. The responsible ministry – Agriculture – is headed by Holder, who also presided over the collapse of the Petro-Caribe agreement, decline of the Grow More campaign, and the near collapse of the fisheries and other livestock sector because of poor oversight and policy implementation.

The controversial D’Urban Park Project, where billions of taxpayers’ dollars were spent, sits daily unoccupied as a white elephant. Patterson presided over this project.

Also, the security sector, headed by Ramjattan, has faced its worst crisis since Guyana gained Independence in 1966 with the historic Camp Street Prison being reduced to ashes, following the fiery deaths of over a dozen prisoners and at least two lawmen in the line of duty in previous bouts of prison unrest. Crime is rampant with criminality on the increase and still extra-ordinarily high levels of Police corruption. The 2:00 am curfew which has killed businesses and hampered domestic growth remains the only hallmark of his tenure.

Hughes, no doubt, is AFC’s shining star as she has demonstrated competence in her duties and has managed to keep her tenure as scandal-free as possible.

Gaskin’s stewardship of the business sector leaves much to be desired as foreign direct investments are at an alltime low despite his best efforts at piloting interesting policy reforms.

The party, therefore, needs to redouble its efforts, change gears and embark on a post-mortem if it wants to secure a better grade from the public.

Trotman must be more honest, realistic and pragmatic if he is to be taken seriously in the age of a very dynamic mass and social media landscape.

Miss Azania – Exile is Waiting is the work of South African artist Athi-Patra Ruga, who uses myth and alternative identities “as a contemporary response to the post-apartheid era” (BBC photo)

Would GECOM be ready for LGE? Dear Editor, Through a recent statement in the printed media, Minister Ronald Bulkan sought to convey to the general public that Local Government Elections would be held between November and December of 2018.

The required signal is necessary, since 2018 budgetary allocations towards this end were approved in the National Assembly. Additionally, the mandatory legal cycle for the elections ought to be complied with, and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as well as other key stakeholders must be given sufficient public notice.

Given that the legality of the present Chairman’s appointment is a matter before the court, his decisions can be ruled as meaningless or having no legal bearing.

GECOM has commenced work by having meetings and addressing issues that would have been otherwise completed were it not for the delays.

There is, however, no clear position from GECOM regarding several outstanding issues, such as the regularisation of boundaries, which would have contributed to the tied result of several Local Government Areas in 2016; the required house-to-house verification of

the list, and approaches to the cleansing of same through the removal of deceased persons.

It is hoped that Bulkan would have consulted meaningfully with GECOM before announcing his plans for elections. Would GECOM be ready?

I am advised that GECOM would be embarking shortly on another cycle of continuous registration. It is hoped that the staff complement for this exercise would be properly scrutinised, and transparent systems would be put in place to monitor the expenditures as well as staff performances for this important exercise.

Notably, the two previous cycles of continuous registration were questionable in the sense that monies were lavishly spent on transportation and meals and very little was done to educate the new registrants and guide the population on the exercise.

In view of the Budget for GECOM being slashed by the Coalition, a new and vigorous recruitment policy should be put in place to address all the existing loopholes and prevent underhand recruitment.

The Secretariat has messed things up so many times that its trust scale is at its lowest.

In addition, the general public has not been made aware

of any actions taken against the numerous scandals of misappropriation of cash and breaches of the Procurement Act and the IFMAS System. It is not business as usual.

It is of note that while GECOM is just dilly-dallying, the APNU arm of Local Government is continuing its breach of the Local Government Act, Chapter 28:02, as it relates to the functions of the Local Authority Areas. Recently, in Region Three, interviews for recruitment and renewal of contracts for the Community Enhancement Workers (CEW) were done by the Regional Administration without the knowledge of the Ministry of Communities. Is there a communication problem between the APNU boys, or are there infighting at the ministries and departments of Government?

The CEW were handed over to the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils by the Regional Administration on the behest and decision of the Ministry of Communities at the beginning of 2017. The workers signed contracts with the NDCs as their employer, with the salaries been paid through a disbursement from the Ministry. Why is it that in 2018, after the appointment

of the Local Government Commission, the Regional Administration of Region 3 is conducting interviews for functions that fall under the mandate of the NDCs? It should be noted that this deviation from the norm has not taken place in any other region but Region 3. Why? Is it because the PPP/C controls 12 of the 14 NDCs in this region, with 1 been tied?

To add insult to injury, the interviewing panel in at least 1 NDC (Stewartville / Cornelia) breached all recruitment policies as they relate to fairness and the appointment of fit and proper persons for the related tasks. In fact, they recommended the employment of someone who had scored fewer points at the interview and has no experience or working knowledge of the drainage and irrigation in the community. The NDC should reject this politically directed imposition by the Regional Administration of Region 3.

But then again, one should not expect better from the APNU appointed officers of the Region; even their Chief can’t determine who is a fit and proper person.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

Troubled governance at UG

Dear Editor, As at 17 January 2018, the University of Guyana Council has not been appointed. The life of the previous Council ended in July 2017, and there can be no excuse for the appointing authorities not to discharge their statutory duty and appoint the Council promptly at the end of the last Council’s tenure of office.

Consequently, there has been no annual general meeting of the Council to receive and discuss the University’s

reports of its work and its finances. This is gross negligence on the part of the responsible authorities, who must be held publicly accountable, and explain to the taxpaying nation this negligence. The President of Guyana must take appropriate actions against those responsible.

The non-appointment of the Council resulted in no Finance and General Purpose Committee, Audit Committee, and Council representative

presence in standing and statutory University Committees.

It would be wrong and illegal for the Vice- Chancellor and/ or his cabinet and chief of staff of hand-picked deputies and senior officials from Guyana and abroad to usurp the functions of statutory council. Any such action would be null and void, and must be reversed.

Immediately upon the end of the last Council’s term, there was -- for first time in the history of the University -- an Investiture

Ceremony for the 10th ViceChancellor and Principal of the University, albeit lavishly expensive. There have been other costly expensive spending beyond the resources of the University since this Vice Chancellor assumed office within the last two years.

These must be investigated, and a forensic audit conducted to inform the nation’s tax payers.

Yours faithfully, Joshua Singh

FRIDAY, january 19, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

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News

Texas University, Bridges Global Medical host outreach in Linden

A

medical team comprising personnel from the Texas State University and Bridges Global Medical Mission has completed a successful respiratory medical outreach in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice).

The team, comprising medical officials, respiratory care students, mass communication students and respiratory therapists, conducted screenings for asthma and COPD at the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) and the Mackenzie High School over a two- day period.

The team also rendered assistance to the Spirometry department at the LHC. Forming part of the team were Director of Clinical Education, Clinical Assistant and Professor at the Texas State University,

Sharon Armstead; Lecturer at Texas State University and Director of SJMC Global News Team, Holly Wise; and Dr Claudette HelligarThomas of the Bridges Global Medical Mission, in addition to the medical students and officials.

Speaking during an official meeting with the team, outgoing Mayor of Linden, Carwyn Holland, thanked the team for the visit, and noted that it was a timely one, since many residents in the bauxite mining community are in need of the services.

“We have the bauxite industry here, and many people would have been affected by asthma...So your visit is timely. I know we have many cases...,” Holland pointed out.

Meanwhile,

Armstead

Members of the visiting team and Linden health officials during the meeting

said the team’s goal is to expose the profession of Respiratory Care to the Guyanese public. Having herself been diagnosed with asthma 4 years ago, she noted that it was during one of her last visits to Linden that she realized her asthmatic condition was “triggered” by something in the environment.

“I could breathe in

Georgetown, but when I came to Linden...something in Linden triggered it, and I still feel that...there’s something in the air,” she noted.

Armstead continued that when she first visited the community, she was told there was “no asthma” there; but she noted that it would be difficult to detect the ailment without the proper diagnostic equip-

ment -- a Spirometer. She said she was happy to have recently secured a grant to secure two more diagnostic machines for Guyana, but said it was up to the MoPH to decide where they would be placed.

The mobile units which were secured were utilised during the outreach, according to Armstead, who stressed the need for “mobile” units to be used in farflung areas. She said while hospitals are equipped, the mobile machines are convenient for use in other areas.

Armstead also highlighted that the World Health Organization (WHO) does not state the number of asthma and COPD cases in Guyana, as she stated her belief that this may be due to the unavailability of tools for diagnosis. As such, she stressed the importance of

using the correct tool and spreading its use. Armstead further stressed the importance of educating the Guyanese public on asthma, COPD and chronic diseases, noting that the main steps in Respiratory Care are diagnosis, treatment and education.

International Desk Coordinator attached to the Public Health Ministry, Denroy Tudor, who was present at the meeting, said the MoPH was elated for the collaboration. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the LHC, Dr Farouk Riyasat, Regional Health Officer Dr Pansy Armstrong, and LHC Chief Medical Officer Dr Steve Mark were also among officials present at the meeting.

The medical team was also attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital prior to the visit to Linden.

Job creation in a declining economy

Dear Editor, Wherever you go in the country and speak to business people, large and small, you will be told the same thing: business has slowed to a stop.

Many small businesses have been closing their doors because of the fall in people’s purchasing power.

This is a clear indication that the economy has stagnated and is even in decline.

Thousands are losing their jobs daily.

The current news reports are mainly focused on the tragedy of the sugar workers, thousands of whom have been sent home even without severance pay. This is by far the worst incident of job losses. Another demonstration of this is the regime’s disregard for our laws.

However, many workers and self-employed small loggers in the timber industry were also pushed out of employment. This was caused by the Barama Company having almost totally closed. The BaiShanLin company was forced out of business, leaving hundreds unemployed. The impact is felt all over.

Some stores in Georgetown have had to lay off workers, while others have had to stagger them. This is creating under-employment. Many are not able to find work for the whole week.

Even the gold sector, where some growth in income was registered, is seeing

a contraction in employment.

Big companies have laid off persons, while small miners and even some medium scale operators have been pushed out of the industry. This is due to the withdrawal of duty-free concessions to them for machinery and equipment which they had enjoyed under the PPP/C Administration.

So much for the Government’s talk about small business growth. All hogwash! People are hurting seriously.

However, there is one area that has been experiencing some significant growth, security guards. A run through of the press since the “Change” took place would show this.

More new security companies have come on the scene.

They have been advertising for guards. This is practically the only form of employment in our country today which is growing.

Some of the security companies that were advertising include Professional Guard Services Inc., R.K. Security, Queensway Security Services Inc., Delta Security Services, BAMS Security Service, GEB Security to name a few. These companies have had several advertisements.

Outside of the security companies, many companies have been advertising for their own security guards.

Some big companies -- such as Caribbean Containers; National Hardware; Puran

Brothers, some private hospitals, banks, etc. and those who can afford, have been employing watchmen for their homes.

Added to this is the growth of the Guyana Police Force.

A look at the papers shows reports that for September 2016, some 57 persons were recruited; for December 2016, some 225 law enforcement officers graduated; March 2017, some 85 persons were recruited for a course; June 2017, another 183 were added to the Force; in November 2017, a further 133 ranks were added.

The 2018 National Budget

saw employment and local travel and subsistence costs were G$7.7 billion and G$1.1 billion respectively. This grew significantly from 2014, when the figures were G$4.3 billion and G$0.7 billion respectively.

These figures confirm what we all know: that crime has risen exponentially under this APNU/AFC regime.

It has been responsible for almost all the new jobs since this regime took power.

Despite the huge jump in security personnel, police, army and private security, the crime rate continues to escalate.

It is known universally

that there is a direct correlation between crime and unemployment. With the huge rise in unemployment due to the dismissal of thousands, it is expected that the negative impact on the economy would be great. The stagnation is growing into a recession. This is a very serious situation caused by sheer incompetence and the discriminatory practices of the regime.

It is time the regime reverse its anti-workers and anti-business stance and create jobs in the productive sector of the economy.

As important as security is, such a situation tells of a

country in decline.

Sincerely, Donald Ramotar Former President

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friDAY, january 19, 2018

Page

By Nate Kornell, PhD

J

uliet was studying for biology test. I said “Prepare to teach.” It worked.

On Monday, I pulled up in front of my daughter Juliet’s middle school. She hopped in the front seat while three of her 7th grade friends piled in the back.

The energy in our minivan went up about a million volts. As we were driving out of the parking lot, and the backseat filled with discussion of who had said what on Instagram, Juliet turned and asked me to help her study for her upcoming science test. She explained that she needed to memorise a chapter about the reproductive cycle of plants.

I immediately launched into a speech about cognitive psychology. I’m annoying that way. “You know,” I said, “a lot of times memorising seems like the best way to study, but you actually do better on tests if you work on trying to understand the material.”

Juliet was smart. “Dad, I don’t understand any of it.

But I don’t need to, she told us what will be on the test, I just have to memorise the vocabulary.” By the way, she’s getting an A in this class.

I was not to be deterred.

“Even if you just need to memorise it, would you try it my way? I can almost guarantee that the material

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation

will seem really complicated at the start… well let’s back up, does it seem really complicated right now?”

“Yes, I have no clue and it’s crazy complicated,” she said.

“I pretty much promise that once you understand it’ll will be dead simple.”

“OK dad. You gotta help me, though.”

I’d been waiting to hear those

words since 1999, when I started doing research on how people study.

This was big.

For some reason, Juliet was open to my advice. This is unusual because she’s noticed that I’m a bit of a dingbat. But I guess being an ex-

pert on studying gave me some cache. Plus, she’s a dingbat too, here’s a picture of her to prove it.

The plan

It was Monday afternoon. We had two nights to study before the test on Wednesday. I proposed a

plan.

“Tomorrow night, you are going to teach the material to me.

Tonight, read the chapter.

Prepare to teach.”

Asking her to adopt a teaching mindset was an unusual move, but I was compelled to do it by the research I’ve read (and done).

Studies show teaching somebody else is a very ef-

fective way to learn. Another set of studies show that even if you don’t do the teaching, the act of preparing to teach leads to more learning than just trying your best to learn the material.

There is also a second reason. Adopting a teaching mindset works especially well when you are trying to understand something.

Juliet was studying plant reproduction. There’s a sequence of steps—fertilisation, growth, meiosis, and so forth – that makes logical sense. There are familiar terms like egg, sperm, fertilisation, fruit, seed, and so on, and they fit like a puzzle with more novel ideas and (for her) like chromosome pairs and meiosis. In other words, it wasn’t about memorisation, there was plenty to understand, and she did not understand it yet.

Why does adopting a teaching mindset work?

We don’t really have data on this question, but here’s some speculation. As the teacher, you want to focus on what’s most important, so you try to figure out what the main points are. This requires thinking deeply about the content. It’s very different than memorisation. You also try to think about order – what should

you talk about first, second, etc – which requires organising your thoughts. You want to make your explanation logical, so you try to understand why things are the way they are. You want to be ready to answer questions, so you ask yourself questions as you study and try to fill in the gaps in your knowledge. Upon reading this list of benefits, a typical memory researcher’s face will be stained with tears of joy.

The “magic” of the teach-

ing mindset is that a simple instruction does so much. If I told Juliet, “focus on meaning, think about why things are the way they are, organise your thoughts, and be prepared to answer questions,” it wouldn’t help her. She would not know what concrete steps to take. Neither would I. But when she hears those three words, “prepare to teach,” she knows what to do. All of this good happens naturally.

(Excerpt from psychologytoday.com)

By Brad E Sachs, PhD

M

any families, during the childhood and early adolescent years, schedule some version of a “family meeting,” a time that is designated for the parents and children to gather together to discuss important matters. Whether or not you have done so in the past, there are good reasons to cobble together family meetings even during the final stages of child development.

I like to refer to this as “making the time to think about time.” In other words, making the time for the family with one or more late adolescent or young adult children living at home to consider and evaluate not only their present level of functioning and interaction but also the kind of relationships that they imagine having with each other when they no longer co-reside.

It is, of course, always advantageous to use family meetings to take care of the typical components of family life: solidifying communication, clarifying reciprocal expectations, clearing the air after conflicts, and simply remaining in respectful contact with each other. But as older children are on the runway preparing for take-off, such meetings become even more valuable if they create the opportunity to begin reflecting upon the significant changes in family life that await, and how everyone can best adapt to those changes.

When parents at any stage of development complain to me that their efforts to schedule family meetings are complained about, or outright stymied, by their children, it is usually because these meetings are characterised by insufficient recognition of the need for an evolving relationship between the generations.

So when it comes to families with adolescents and young adults living at home, discussion confined to chronic friction around issues such as, “How come you always bring the car home with an empty tank of gas?” or “I’ve told you repeatedly: no drinking or smoking in the house!” or “So how’re those college applications coming along?” will understandably be of limited appeal, for they keep old and somewhat outmoded, parent-child dynamics in place: parent as police officer and child as scofflaw, parent as taskmaster and child as slave, parent as prosecutor and child as defendant. (Excerpt from psychologytoday.com) To be continued

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friDAY, january 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt slammed for failure to protect whistleblowers T

he coalition Government sought the passage of the Protected Disclosures Bill 2017 in the National Assembly on Thursday, but was confronted head on with its treatment of a whistleblower last year, who was transferred after revealing the alleged drug abuse of a coalition councillor.

When granted the floor, Opposition Parliamentarian Harry Gill made specific references to the incident involving a Berbice nurse who had blown the whistle on Councillor Carol Joseph. In the wake of her disclosure, the nurse reportedly was subsequently transferred.

“This bill could have easily been named after a young APNU/AFC supporter whose whole family voted last elections for change,” Gill said. “This is a story of a whistleblower who was suspended, harassed, intimidated, victimized, and transferred against her will; and made to suffer intrigue against her in terms of life and professional career,” he said.

“Her only crime was that she saw an injustice, the abuse of a dangerous drug by an addicted public official, and, out of concern and the public interest, thought she was doing the patriotic thing by reporting the abuse to the relevant authority,” Gill explained.

Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland

He pointed out that this all falls under the definition of detrimental action, and is prohibited by the bill under clause 21. He acknowledged that while the Bill was not operationalised as yet, this should not prevent the ministry from investigating the matter.

But the parliamentarian noted that despite the matter having been continuously ventilated in the public domain and a probe of the doctors involved having been done by the Medical Council, the Public Health Ministry has failed to launch an official investigation into the issue.

The parliamentary Opposition's continued references to the incident, and reports that complaints

Opposition MP Harry Gill

were made to the Public Health Ministry but nothing was done, prompted the relevant Minister, Volda Lawrence, to interject under Standing Order 40. She denied knowledge of any reports reaching her.

Lawrence demanded that Gill withdraw his reference to her failure to act on the allegations, a moved backed up by Speaker of the National Assembly. In spite of the Opposition side objecting to the request, Gill was forced to withdraw his statement.

Victimisation Sherlyn Marks, the nurse in question, was initially attached to a West Coast Berbice hospital. She was transferred with immediate effect during the last week in April last year after

she had made complaints against former APNU/AFC Councillor Carol Joseph.

She claimed that the former councillor had been going to the hospital for an excessive daily dose of the painkiller pethidine. The nurse has accused the regional administration of targeting her.

Nurse Marks, who said she filed complaints twice last year, claimed she refused to administer the 100 ml dose to Joseph, who would turn up daily to receive it. She said she received a letter of transfer from the Regional Office after being scolded for going to the media with her complaints. Some two days later, Joseph reportedly resigned from her post and the party.

Persons and organisations, including the

Transparency Institute of Guyana Incorporated, have been critical of the incident and the potential repercussions for transparency and accountability. TIGI had referred to the case by noting that Marks was bludgeoned into oblivion; or worse, “for exposing the abuse of power.”

TIGI had also noted that the failure to act by the administration in the region was amplified and encouraged by the absence of a functional Integrity Commission to which Marks could have complained.

The first bit of retaliation was the transferring of Marks to another facility without her having requested it, the TIGI pointed out.

It added that Marks’s move to address the matter publicly after two attempts to

urge the responsible officers to act appears to have embarrassed people of power who had condoned Joseph’s actions.

Calling the transfer a pathetic response, TIGI had noted that the transfer was done without consideration of any hardships or other changes in Marks’s circumstances. The group noted that the nurse was therefore treated like an expendable pawn for going public.

TIGI had affirmed that it does not support breaking the law, but had added that when abuse of power is done with impunity while persons making disclosures are made to feel the consequence, it is mere lip service for those in authority to proclaim support for whistle-blowers.

Soldier robbed by bicycle bandits

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wift action by ranks of a Police patrol led to the arrest of one of three knife-wielding bicycle bandits, who robbed a member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) in the wee hours of Thursday.

An investigation revealed that about 02:00h, the victim, who resides at Nabaclis, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was in the company of his colleague walking along High

and D’Urban Streets, Georgetown, when they were confronted by three men, all armed with knives.

The bandits pounced and relieved the victim of his phone valued $22,000; however, before the perpetrators could get anything else from the men, they fled.

While escaping from the bandits, the two army men managed to stop a passing Police patrol and related

what had just transpired.

The party of patrol ranks subsequently searched the area and one of the suspects who was positively identified was arrested a short distance from where the robbery occurred.

The 20-year-old unemployed man of Norton Street, Lodge, has since been taken into Police custody and has been assisting with the investigation.

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friDAY, january 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Bourda shooting

City Constable slapped with manslaughter charge

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ays after 34-yearold vendor Marlon Fredericks of Tiger Bay, Georgetown was shot dead on Regent Road, Bourda as he allegedly tried to escape lawful custody, the City Constable who reportedly shot him has been slapped with a manslaughter charge.

Gregory Bascom of West Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, Georgetown appeared on Thursday to answer this charge before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Defence lawyer Roger Yearwood, in a bail application, told the court that Fredericks’s death was an “unfortunate incident”. He contended that his 50-year-

Gregory Bascom as he enters the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday

old client was performing his duties as a constabulary rank at the time of the incident.

Attorney Yearwood also told the court that his client

has since been interdicted from his duties as a Lance Corporal, and is being given only a half month’s salary.

Police Prosecutor Celine Evans did not object to the

defendant being placed on bail, but requested that the court impose conditions for his bail. The Chief Magistrate released Bascom on $800,000, and ordered that as a condition for bail, the father of three must report every Friday to the Alberttown Police Station until the matter concludes.

Additionally, he was ordered to lodge his passport with the court.

Reports are on Sunday, January 14, 2018, the now dead man allegedly dashed out of the City Constabulary lock-ups at Bourda in a reported attempt to escape.

He was pursued by Lance Corporal Bascom, who allegedly shot him.

The case will continue on February 12.

Bagotville man to face trial for wife’s killing

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Deceased: Donessa Barker

iguel Barker, called ‘Allan’, of Bagotville, West Bank Demerara, will next week go on trial for the brutal stabbing of his wife Donessa Barker, called Vanessa, who collapsed and died after being dealt sever-

al stabs about the body on the night of April 30, 2015 in Bagotville.

Appearing before Justice Navindra Singh on Thursday as the Demerara Criminal Assizes continued at the Supreme Court, Barker denied the State’s murder indictment when the charge was presented

by Lead Prosecutor Tiffini Lyken.

Barker is alleged to have murdered his wife after an alleged falling out with her.

In evidence which was initially compiled, the woman is said to have died of incised wounds, and it has been proven that she was stabbed to the chest.

Before the woman’s death, the couple had been married for more than a

cue the woman, and had rushed her to hospital after she had been stabbed.

Barker had reportedly fled the scene, but was later apprehended and charged for the crime.

He is being represented

by Defence Counsel Maxwell McKay, while Prosecutors Abigail Gibbs and Narissa Leander are assisting with the State’s case. About seven witnesses are expected to testify throughout the trial.

Accused: Miguel “Allan” Barker

year, but would have frequent arguments wherein several accusations were made. On the night of the crime, the Barkers were reportedly heard arguing prior to the stabbing.

Reports are that neighbours had attempted to res-

Another Venezuelan deported

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enezuelan national Barbara Anyndharain was on Thursday fined $30,000 with an alternative of four weeks’ imprisonment when she appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on a charge of illegal entry into Guyana.

She was also charged for failing to produce her travel documents to Police officers on January 16, 2018.

The Prosecution is contended that, on January 16, Anyndharain was travelling in a minibus to Mabaruma, Region One, when the vehicle was stopped by Police for a routine search. She was then asked to produce her travel documents, but failed to so do.

Before the Chief Magistrate on Thursday, the woman admitted to entering Guyana through Brazil on December 28 without presenting herself to an Immigration Officer. In her defence, Anyndharain told the Chief Magistrate that she was brought into the country by a male friend, and she did not realize she had overstayed her time, until she was stopped by the lawmen. She has been ordered deported.

Revealing…

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…Govt’s mindset on sugar workers ver the last year, the inhuman treatment meted out by the Government to sugar workers has revealed a most despicable and deep-seated mindset. It should remind us about how treacherously the ‘mental slavery” which Bob Marley warned us about has percolated the psyche of our ruling strata.

To use human beings as beasts of burden to maximize their profits, the sugar planters and their cohorts in Europe created what today we call “racism” when they introduced African slavery to the New World.

Even though our present ruling strata may have the same pigmentation that the Europeans used to mark the invidious badge of slavery, they are willing to put up with the permanent cognitive dissonance created when they are racist to “their own”. Back when we were entering our era of decolonization, the psychiatrist/revolutionary Franz Fanon described them as having “Black skin, White masks”.

With the present lot, the “white masks” they insist one wearing prevent them from identifying with the travails of the sugar workers. The racism inherent in the rulers is revealed every now and then in little slips – in addition to the broad relations of exploitation they oversee.

Recently, after making NO provision for paying all (legally mandated) severance to the fired 4000+ sugar workers, the Minister of Agriculture pretended they’re doing the workers a favour because they are prevented from “spending it out all at once”!! And that’s just how the old planters who invented racism insisted people with black skins would act if they were paid wages -- they would just waste it away on frivolities.

People with dark skin, of course, were incapable of planning ahead; they’re incapable of deferred gratification – so why bother giving them money for their labour? Give them a (thatched) roof over their heads and some provision grounds and they would be as happy as… well…Sambo!! This was the stereotypical “darkie” in the fields smiling widely even as he was “jiving and shucking” to throw the massa off scent.

In the Guyanese present, the fired sugar workers can’t possibly want their severance in one lump sum, because they might want to open up a stall in a market, or put a down payment on a used hire car, or start a cash crop farm. Naaaah! That’s not possible. All they want is to drink rum till they die. So licences for opening up rum shops even in the bottom houses have now been facilitated (as another favour).

But Fanon did warn that to every action there is a reaction. And that violence is ‘cathartic”. …The Parking Scam Old people say, “Mout’ open, story jump out”! Well, on the Parking Meter scam which the Mayor and her Gang of Four (MG4) attempted to pull on the City of Georgetown, the mouth is as open as if a dentist had commanded, “Open wide!!” And all who have ears (and have had need to enter our Garden City with their cars) let them hear about how narrowly they escaped being flayed alive.

After citizens took to the streets (MAPM) and protested the contract that practically demanded they give up their first-borns to get parking, the MG$ refused to rescind the contract as demanded, but were forced to have a committee of Councillors relook at the contract, along with the Smart City smart flies. And lo and behold – a new contract has been hammered out, even though the Gang of Four predicted Smart City would rain hellfire and damnation on us from the courts.

Your Eyewitness believes the contract should now be discussed with MAPM. And the PNC demand their Mayor resign! …on “good culture” The PNC places form over substance when it comes to culture. When the Speaker gagged the PPP in Parliament and they protested, the President called them “vulgar”.

The gagging wasn’t?

Now, after firing 5700 citizens and trampling their legal contractual rights, the President says appointing Senior Counsels reflects the “culture of a good society!!”

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

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friDAY, january 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Mixed reactions to $200 garbage fees …defaulters will see no garbage collection

A few members of the public gathered at City Hall on Friday when they ironed out issues related to a garbage collection fee in the city. One elected Councillor, Deputy Mayor Lionel Jaikarran was present at the meeting

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ollowing Mayor Patricia Chase Green’s order for Town Clerk Royston King to hold at least one consultation before implementing a monthly $200 garbage collection fee in the capital city, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) on Thursday hosted its first public consultation on the measure which garnered a mixed response from members of the public.

Participants particularly took umbrage that with the exception of Deputy Mayor Lionel Jaikarran, no other elected Councillor was present at the meeting held at City Hall. In an aim to calm the brief show of tension, M&CC Public Relations Officer Debra Lewis said that Thursday’s exercise was the first of several “conversations” that would be held in the various communities across Georgetown on the implementation of the fee.

Earlier this month, Town Clerk Royston King opted to impose the $200 fee, but the plan was halted after Mayor Chase Green observed that the full council was yet to approve the proposal. On Thursday, King was not present at the first public

consultation, but his Deputy, Sharon Harry-Munroe, was there. The Deputy Town Clerk highlighted the shortfalls of the rates and taxes being unchanged since 1994 and further told the gathering that the city having to offset the service “has become burdensome”.

At the meeting, it was observed that outside of Georgetown, some persons were paying as much as $400 for garbage collection services and on that note, some of the few members of the public present contended that the $200 fee was affordable. One such person was pensioner Michael Nelson, of D’Andrade Street, Newtown, saying that he did not mind taking the few dollars out of the $500 increase which was given for his Old Age Pension for 2018.

“I willing to pay the increase to see Georgetown return to what it was – a garden city,” the pensioner stressed.

Desire Younge, of Lamaha Springs, indicated that she was comfortable paying the $200 fee, but Sterling DeLima, of Subryanville, opposed any increase, saying that he expected services for

his rates and taxes. DeLima also contended that he would be affected if he opted to pay and his neighbour did not and pondered what measures the city would utilise to ensure that funds were paid over.

In a lengthy response, Solid Waste Management Director Walter Narine said all payments would be made at City Hall and noted that by-laws were in the pipeline to deal with defaulters who refuse to pay the fee.

“We will not be collecting garbage from people who do not pay their fee,” Narine affirmed.

As the consultation continued, more residents reiterated calls for the fee to be included in their overall rates and taxes and said that there ought to be more consultations with Councillors of the various constituencies.

City Hall’s staff again highlighted that many persons were not forthcoming with their rates and taxes which continued to hamper the organisation from effective operation.

Disparity of taxes Another issue highlighted was the disparity of tax-

es where owners of homes converted into apartments were paying the same rates as individual homes. On this, some members of the public called for a revaluation of the properties in the capital city to ensure that there was more equitable tax payment rather than implementing an across-the-board garbage fee for all residential homeowners.

City Council Accounting Manager John Douglas, however, observed that the Council was encountering increased costs with no suitable expenditure and that the city was asking each citizen to subsidise its garbage collection at a rate of 30 per cent. His colleague Narine explained that calculations suggested that it cost the city about $536 to transport garbage from a receptacle to the landfill.

The meeting lasted about two hours.

At the last statutory meeting at the City Council level, the Town Clerk had observed that the collection fee was discussed at the level of the Finance Committee and was raised at the last statutory meeting, but no decisive action was taken on it. He had also claimed that the matter was put in the public sphere for feedback and they had received positive feedback ever since. However, Chairman of the Finance Committee, Councillor Oscar Clarke had stated that a firm proposal with all the implications must be brought to the Council for agreement and approval before the charge was implemented, a contention that he reiterated at a meeting prior to Thursday’s public discussion. (Shemuel Fanfair)

Guyana honouring Caricom financial obligations

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ice President and Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge has confirmed that Guyana has honoured its financial obligations to the Caribbean Community (Caricom) even as the regional body continues to face some financial challenges while executing its mandate.

The Minister said as a general observation, many countries within the Region have experienced financial difficulties in recent years. However, he noted, “Financial challenges faced by Caricom are not the result of failure by Guyana to make its contributions.”

Greenidge also made it clear that Caricom has to redouble its efforts to cut wastage of resources, both financial and otherwise, in order to meet the demands of a changing global arena.

The Minister said that funding for many regional projects were on the decline and Caricom Member States were experiencing their own financial challenges in order to keep up with the increasing number of meetings, forums and engagements that require their participation and input.

He said that these engagements while necessary, as Caricom seeks to forge ahead with its one economic policy and space and Latin America reintegration initiative, Member States were expressing scepticism about the bill they may have to foot as the situation domestically with regard to finances remained grim.

“As the international community takes up all sorts of new challenges, whether it be environment, global warming, new institutions are established…

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge

it sometimes require additional technicians, more money and it becomes increasingly burdensome for most countries,” he added.

Asked whether he anticipates that Guyana may be called upon to pay a large financial contribution to Caricom in light of the massive oil finds and exploration activities here, the Foreign Affairs Minister responded in the negative, stating that he did not anticipate any such indication. He said, “I wouldn’t expect responsible Caricom Government to be demanding that you pay now in anticipation of revenues to appear in 2020 and beyond.

We have always contributed to Caricom development in accordance with our capacity. And when Guyana was doing well financially and economically, Guyana went out of its way to lend support to the integration movement, both by ways of financing and this will continue when we have resources to do so.” Caricom has been facing many financial challenges since the 2008 economic crisis which shattered the economies of several of its Member States. continued on page 12

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friDAY, january 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana signs US$15M sustainable land development project

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; Country Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Reuben Robinson and Finance Minister Winston Jordan sign the project document as Commissioner Trevor Benn and staff of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) look on

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resident David Granger committed to ensuring that Guyana preserved its land assets and promoted more efficient mining and logging practices at a signing ceremony for a US$15 million project for the implementation of a four-year Sustainable Land Development and Management Programme (SLDMP).

The sum was acquired by the Project Management Office (PMO) of the Ministry of the Presidency, under the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF),

which is a fund for the financing of activities identified under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). The fund receives money from Norway based on an independent verification of Guyana’s deforestation and forest degradation rates and progress on REDD+ enabling activities.

The Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC), with support from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Guyana, will be the executing agency.

In his remarks to the heads of agencies and other Government and non-governmental functionaries gathered in the Baridi Benab at State House, President Granger said that Guyana’s land-based natural capital must be managed sustainably if present and future generations were to enjoy the ‘good life’. He noted that Guyana has made progress on the crafting of its Framework Document of the Green State Development Strategy in order to ensure sustainable development. Sustainable

land development is essential to protecting the nation’s natural patrimony and ensuring economic development.

President Granger noted that the increased demand for land for farming, logging and mining has increased the threats to the country’s natural capital and was the main cause of deforestation. Small-scale mining alone accounted for 89 per cent of deforestation over the past three years while river mining was polluting the waterways on which many hinterland residents still depended for bathing, drinking purposes, fishing

and washing, the Head of State said.

The President said that Guyana’s green development agenda demanded the fulfilment of these environmental obligations and the adoption of practices to better manage land resources and the augmentation of institutional capacity to improve monitoring and verification of land use.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan, who signed the document on behalf of the Government of Guyana, in his remarks, said that the Government welcomed the project, which has been designed to ensure that the

productivity and economic potential of land were maintained even as the natural resources were used to streamline and develop the ‘green’ economy.

Head of the PMO, Marlon Bristol said that the GRIF has taken keen interest in projects that reduce emissions from degradation and deforestation. It is with this mandate, he said, that the GRIF funds have been allocated for sustainable land management. “In this context, putting to use degraded lands provides a great opportunity and impetus for the establishment of a ‘green’ state,” he said.

American Medical Institution not accredited – NAC warns

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he National Accreditation Council of Guyana (NAC) is warning persons that the American Medical Institution is not registered with the NAC, as is legally required for post-secondary and tertiary educational institutions operating in Guyana.

Reports are that the

said institution, which has been operating out of the Critchlow Labour College on Woolford Avenue, has informed its students and members of the public that it has been granted approval to operate by Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NAC, Vincent Alexander.

However, the NAC is refuting claims that the insti-

tution has been granted permission by Alexander.

The NAC is appealing to the public, especially prospective students, to check with the NAC’s office -- located at 109 Barima Avenue, Bel Air Park Georgetown -to ensure that their institution and programme of choice are registered with, and approved by, the NAC.

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friDAY, january 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

S RAIGHT Govt mulls external legal services Constitutional challenge

…AG’s capacity to defend State cases questioned

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On GuySuCo: Is the glass half empty or half full?

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uyana’s economy is flat-lining in 2018 amid poor economic management practice being conducted by this Granger Team. Such action has accelerated the deterioration of an already weaken domestic investment climate.

Almost every decision today in Guyana has turned political, without adequate financial and economic analytics to bring at least common sense to it. Such political immaturity has contributed to short-term political visibility for the PNC leader, but will by and large result in long-term damage to the productive capacity of the nation, because the expected reforms to put the nation on a firm foundation are being deliberately delayed.

A clear example of how Team Granger have messed up can be found in how they mismanaged the transition in the sugar industry under the tutelage of the failed troika of Noel Holder/ Clive Thomas/Errol Hanoman.

No one with any sanity would deny that urgent reforms were needed in the sugar belt after Hurricane Donald Ramotar and Raj Singh. But Tsunami Noel Holder and Errol Hanoman did exactly the opposite. But the imperative in 2018 is not what hurricane Donald and Raj did to GuySuCo, but what the current Granger Team would have done after those pre-May 2015 hurricanes. Rather than repairing the sugar belt and moving it up the value-added chain into the realm of alcohol production, agro-energy production, ethanol production and so on, Team Granger are actively pulling down the damaged industry, and have left more than 5,000 families exposed to the elements of poverty without any alternative plans.

As I said in 2015 -- and I will say now -- the appointment of Errol Hanoman was the worst possible decision any Government of Guyana could have made. This man is a Bookers man with a colonial mentality, who has zero loyalty to the plight of the sugar families. His mission all along was to serve an elite few, both locally and the sugar barons internationally, and when placed in the position, he delivered the surgical blow that would do irreparable damage to the sugar industry.

After the PNC/AFC actions in 2017, I am now convinced that GuySuCo will never be the same again, since the beginning of the end has commenced.

But the wound to the heart of GuySuCo was inflicted at an extremely high financial cost to the sugar workers if one were to analyze the cost of the Office of the CEO under Mr. Hanoman.

The figures above were sourced directly from GuySuCo, and they tell a horrible story of one man in the Office of the CEO burning close to half of a billion in 2017 on himself and his executive outfit.

While most of the headquarters’ operation illustrated a decline in cost, Mr. Errol Hanoman’s cost went up by 10% over 2017 when compared to 2016. Here we have this same Hanoman claiming that he has no money to pay the Wales workers their severance package, but he could have found close to G$800 million in cash just to service himself, his first-class flights, his super salary, and his residual upkeep.

In 2017, the cost of service for the operations of one man was more than the entire severance package for the hundreds of Wales sugar workers.

The sugar industry remains important for the economy, irrespective of the untruths that Mr. Holder is trying to peddle. It is estimated that even after the retrenchment without severance pay, more than 75,000 people in Demerara and Berbice are still directly and indirectly depending on GuySuCo to make a livelihood.

Even as the share of sugar in the GDP has declined significantly since the 1990s, the fact remains that a significant amount of real human beings derive their economic sustenance from sugar.

The truth remains: RAW SUGAR IS DEAD, BUT A VALUE-ADDED, SUGAR-RELATED INDUSTRY IS VERY MUCH ALIVE. Additionally, Team Granger imposed a failed sugar executive from the 1980s as its new factory executive, and he used his position on the Commission of Enquiry to cop a super salary to do almost nothing for the sugar belt today. As the evidence above illustrates, his upkeep cost has expanded by 20% over 2017, and he has charged the nation just under G$300 million over 2 years. This is a clear case of another Granger fat cat drinking most of the milk and leaving very little for the industry.

Alfred Montapert stated, “Do not confuse motion and progress.

A rocking horse keeps moving, but does not make any progress”.

This is exactly what we are witnessing today in GuySuCo under Team Thomas/Holder and the now dearly departed Hanoman. Is the glass half filled or half empty after 2 years of the failed troika of Holder/Thomas/Hanoman?

Please share your thoughts at sasesin1@yahoo.com.

he Guyana Government is yet to make a decision as to whether it would retain external legal services to represent its appeal in the constitutional challenge case that is currently before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), because there continues to be much criticism over the performance of the Attorney General.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Attorney General Basil Williams explained that since Government has already retained two Queen’s Counsels from Barbados to represent its case in the challenge of the appointment of Justice James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), it is possible that the services of the two legal practitioners may be extended to the constitutional challenge case – which, among other things, questions the term limit imposed on Guyanese presidents.

“Well, as you know, I have two Barbadian QCs, and it’s quite possible that they could in fact (be retained)…they could be advisory, or they could also appear in the case. That’s the situation,” he stated.

Asserting that no decision has as yet been taken, Williams added, “We have a lot of time. There hasn’t been a fixed date, there’s a tentative date.”

This suggestion that external legal services may be used to represent Guyana has against raised questions about the capacity of the AG’s Chambers to represent state cases.

One senior member of the judiciary, commenting on the possibility of the state using foreign counsels, said it is unfortunate that the Government would contemplate such a move when there are competent local lawyers that the Government can hire.

The CCJ is expected to hold a case management conference on February 6, 2018, during which the dates will be set to hear the case, after the court would have consulted with attorneys on both sides in order to determine a date.

Hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:00h in the Trinidad-based court, and will be done via audio-visual recording, according to information posted on the CCJ website.

The decision to refer the case to the CCJ was presided over by acting Chancellor Yonette CummingsEdwards, Appellate Judge Dawn Gregory, and High Court Judge Rishi Persaud.

Back in 2014, private citizen Cedric Richardson had filed the challenge, arguing

Attorney General Basil Williams

that Act 17 of 2001, which was passed by a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly, unconstitutionally curtailed and restricted his sovereign and democratic right and freedom as a qualified elector to elect a former President as the Executive President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Contending that the limit was unconstitutional and illegal, Richardson also wanted the court to determine whether the amendment with a referendum should not have been held, instead of the two-thirds majority in the National Assembly having the power to decide to limit the number of terms.

The other restrictions were: to also declare unqualified to run for the pres-

idency citizens of Guyana not resident in Guyana on Nomination Day; citizens of Guyana resident in Guyana on Nomination Day but who have not been continuously resident in Guyana for seven years prior to that date; and citizens of Guyana by registration.

After several months in the court, former Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang ruled in favour of Richardson’s argument, saying that the term limit on presidents is unconstitutional without the approval of the people through a referendum.

However, the decision did not sit well with Attorney General Basil Williams and former Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman, both of whom were named respondents in the court action. They asked that the ruling be “wholly set aside”; but then Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Carl Singh, also upheld the High Court’s decision, arguing in the Appeal Court ruling that a decision on the term-limit rested with the people via a referendum, and not the National Assembly. He had sought to impress the point that people should choose whom they “please to govern them,” and noted that this is essential to all other rights.

During the February 2017 decision, Justice Singh was supported by Justice of Appeal BS Roy in uphold-

ing Justice Chang’s decision. Current Chief Justice (ag) Yonette CummingsEdwards, who also sat on the panel, had given a dissenting judgement.

Meanwhile, this move by Government to retain external legal services for yet another case comes on the heels of widespread criticisms of the performance of AG Williams. Since its assumption to office, Government, represented by the AG, has lost several cases at the level of the CCJ, and in the local courts to large companies, private citizens, and even Opposition members.

At a press conference last week, Williams had brushed aside criticisms of his Chamber’s underperformance after several judgments were passed against them, leaving Government to pay out millions.

It was reported that in 2017, some $100 million was included in the Legal Affairs Ministry’s Budget for the retention of six attorneys by the Government to prosecute a number of high profile cases.

Government recently retained the services of Barbadian Queen’s Counsels Ralph Thorn and Hal Gallop in the ongoing GECOM case. In defending the decision, the AG pointed out that their appointments would serve to enrich the jurisprudence in the region.

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friDAY, january 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Security reform expert hands Litterbugs beware: $25,000-$100,000 over ‘dynamic’ report to Govt fine for April implementation

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nited Kingdombased expert, Colonel Russell Combe has handed over to Government his final report on the Security Sector Reform Programme (SSRP).

The document was handed over to President David Granger at the State House on Wednesday in the presence of top-ranking Police and military officers.

While the report focuses primarily on reforms within the Guyana Police Force, Combe explained that there were measures also included to address issues plaguing the Prison and Fire Services as well as the Coast Guard of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).

During a meeting with then British Prime Minister David Cameron back in 2016, President Granger had requested that the multimillion-dollar SSRP be revived.

The US$4.7 million security sector pact was initially launched in 2007, but was scrapped two years later, after major disagreements between the then Administration and the UK Government over some of the conditions of the plan.

According to President Granger, with this report, his Government will now try to correct errors.

Recalling all the previous attempts at security reform, the Head of State posited that the root cause of the escalation in crime in Guyana was narcotics trafficking.

However, the UK-based security expert explained that tackling the cause of

UK security expert Colonel Russell Combe handing over the SSRP report to President David Granger on Thursday at State House

crime was outside of his current capacity. “(Cause of crime) is driven by economics and whilst that’s an important area to tackle, that’s not an area where I would be in the position to offer advice to the President.

He needs to look at that along with his other government strategies and… hopefully, there will be resources to improve in that area with the oil and gas exploration taking place in Guyanese waters,” he asserted.

Nevertheless, Combe went on to posit that the presentation of the report was not just the beginning or end of efforts to reform the local security sector.

“The report is dynamic; it’s not to represent just the beginning. Activities supported by the United Kingdom have already commenced: the training of (Police’s) Strategic Planning Unit last year and then in November, there was consultancy on the marine capability of the Police Force and indeed engaged with the

Coast Guards as well… So, this is not the beginning, nor is it the end,” he noted.

The Colonel added that the report did not only contain his views on issues facing the security services in particular the Police Force but was a compilation of previous reports.

“I also want to stress that it’s a dynamic document, one that will be built upon throughout my period of return, and also a reference document for the various security sector players and actors,” he outlined.

The UK expert further stated that they do not want to see the report sitting on a shelf, gathering dust. In fact, he noted that the report was compiled in such a way that it can be broken up and separated into parts to be dealt with by different groupings.

Colonel Combe is expected to return in April this year to oversee the implementation of his recommendations.

His new tenure will see him in Guyana until March 2019.

s the city moves to tackle its garbage challenges, it is moving to enforce fines for persons who litter in the city.

This was confirmed by Solid Waste Management Director Walter Narine, who noted on Thursday that by-laws which were slated to come on stream in the coming months would see the city reining in those caught littering and dumping garbage around the city.

“By April, once you are caught littering, you can be charged $25,000 and its maximum is $100,000,” Narine observed on Thursday.

Guyana Times was told that in addition to the complement of litter wardens in the city, more persons would be hired in that capacity to enforce the city’s regulations to tackle the scourge.

“We have litter wardens already, but we will get more and we are creating employment,” Narine further stressed.

His comments come at a time when the city is increasing its drive to deal with increased garbage and to clamp down on illegal disposal. Narine, speaking at a consultation at City Hall on Thursday, said that the city dealt with over 220 tonnes of garbage

daily, 140 tonnes of which are produced by residents.

However, much of the littering occurs in the commercial areas of the capital city, principally around the central business district in downtown Georgetown.

The littering contributes to clogged drains, a major factor in flooding.

It was highlighted that a plastic bag takes some 100 years to disintegrate.

Guyana honouring Caricom...

from page 9

While some have managed to rebound from the impact of the crisis, others have generally been unable to meet their financial obligations as far as contributing revenue to the bloc to keep its Georgetown-based Secretariat going.

Although Caricom is one of the oldest integration schemes in the Western Hemisphere and the largest in terms of membership,

it is by far the smallest in economic and geographic terms. Caribbean economies have either stagnated or grown very slowly, and high unemployment has become chronic. Despite important policy changes, export diversification has been limited for generating huge growth rates.

Despite the challenges faced by the bloc, particularly the ravaging effects of

the 2017 hurricane season which has cast a long shadow over the Region, the over US$2 billion pledged at the Caricom-United Nations conference for long-term recovery for hurricane-affected countries and the establishment of the regional renewable energy centre were among the successes recently recorded

by Caricom.

news

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friDAY, january 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Tullow Oil, Eco Atlantic entering phase 2 on Orinduik Block

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ondon-based Tullow Oil has decided to enter phase two of the initial period of the Orinduik Block located offshore Guyana under the Petroleum Agreement and Prospecting Licence.

Tullow is the operator of the Block with a 60 per cent interest and Eco Atlantic Oil and Gas is its partner with the remaining 40 per cent interest, in the shallow water of the prospective SurinameGuyana basin.

The decision to enter phase two of the initial period under this licence on Orinduik Block was announced by Eco Atlantic on Thursday.

As the operator of the Block, Tullow Oil has notified the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) as well as Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman of the partners’ decision.

The work commitment under

phase two requires the acquisition of a minimum of 1000 square kilometres of 3D seismic survey

on the Orinduik Block. This has already been completed and exceeded during phase one when

the Block partners completed a 2550 square-kilometre survey in September 2017.

As such, there will be no further 3D seismic work in phase two of the initial exploration period.

Eco had signed an option agreement on the Orinduik Block with the French oil company, Total, in late September 2017. Under the agreement, Total has an option to acquire a 25 per cent working interest in the Orinduik Block from Eco Guyana, a subsidiary of Eco Atlantic. The exercise of the option must be made within 120 days of completion of processing of the 2550 sq km 3D seismic survey.

Eco Chief Operating Officer Colin Kinley has said that his company was delighted to enter into phase two on Orinduik, after significantly exceeding the 3D seismic requirements for phase two.

“The initial phase of processing is nearing completion. Once we

are satisfied with the data at that stage, we will supply it to Total for their review under their option agreement,” he added.

Kinley said while the precise date was yet to be determined by the partners, an announcement would be made at that time, and the companies would begin working together on the interpretation and selection of well targets.

“Our entry into phase two further endorses our belief of the potential of the Orinduik Block. This has also recently been strengthened by ExxonMobil’s sixth discovery on the adjacent Stabroek Block, Ranger-1, which now increases Exxon’s estimate to total more than 3.2 billion recoverable oil-equivalent barrels on the Block.”

ExxonMobil revealed positive results from its Ranger-1 exploration well, marking the company’s sixth oil discovery offshore Guyana since 2015, earlier in January.

Pomeroon execution

Farmers died from gunshot injuries – autopsy …3 remain in custody, Police awaiting ballistics test

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he autopsy conducted on the bodies of the two coconut farmers from a Pomeroon riverine community in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) who were allegedly shot has confirmed that the men died from gunshot injuries.

The autopsy was conducted on Thursday by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh.

Three persons remain in Police custody as investigations continue into the execution-style killing that took

place in the Lower Pomeroon River. A third person was pulled in for questioning late Tuesday evening --wife of the deceased Ambrose Baharally – and she remains in custody along with a farmer.

Close relatives’ hands were swabbed and the swabs were sent for relevant testing.

Detectives from G Division are currently awaiting a result from the ballistics test that will ascertain if the weapons they recently found was associat-

ed with the crime.

Investigators late Monday evening found weapons, ammunition and a quantity of narcotics that are assumed to be related to the crime.

One 9mm pistol and magazine; one .38 revolver; 16 live 12-gauge cartridges; 21 live .38 rounds; a quantity of .32 rounds; two 9mm spent shells, and 51 and onehalf grams of cannabis were found. These items were recovered in close proximity to where the incident occurred

CJIA’s custodians undergo housekeeping workshop

CJIAC CEO Ramesh Ghir, delivering remarks to the custodians during the workshop

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he Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation (CJIAC), in collaboration with the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), on Wednesday wrapped up a two-day workshop on housekeeping with 25 of its Airport Custodians.

The workshop, held in the Airport’s Boardroom, focused on international cleaning procedures and practices, and customer service, in keeping with the Airport management’s mandate to maintain the provision of a high quality of standard and service to airport users. The workshop was facilitated by Susan Issacs, who has over 20 years in the hospitality sector.

Participants were also

briefed on how to use the cleaning equipment correctly and safely; proper usage of cleaning agents and chemicals; ways to handle conflicts with airport users, and the practise of basic communication etiquette.

Cognizant of the fact that cleanliness is key to the airport’s operations, Ramesh Ghir, CJIAC Chief Executive Officer, in delivering opening remarks, underscored how critical the Custodians’ role is within the airport’s operations.

“First impression counts, and you must see yourself as ambassadors, not only of the airport, but the country at large. Give of your best at all times, and take pride in what you do,” he admon-

ished the Custodians.

The workshop is a series of programmes earmarked for Custodians for the year.

Michelle Clarke, a Custodian Supervisor, found the workshop to be uplifting, “I thought it was just going to be about cleaning, but it was more than that. It reinforced my commitment to the job.”

Marika Dawson, employed as a Custodian for over a year, revealed, “It was an excellent workshop, and I can’t wait to learn more in the future.”

Following this successful collaboration with GTA, plans are in the making for workshops to be held with the taxi drivers and Red Cap operators next month.

at Grant Stelling, Lower Pomeroon.

The Police had deployed a high-level investigative team to the area to assist with investigations.

Up to press time, two persons were in custody, including Cilicia Williams, the wife of Ambrose Baharally.

Baharally, called “Jadge,” of Grant Stelling Hope, and 23-year-old Martin Goddete of Friendship Canal, Lower Pomeroon River, were said to be imbibing when, at about 15:30h, they were shot to the head by two men known to them.

Williams, a mother of six, told Police that Goddete had visited their home at about 09:30h, and after some time, he and her husband began to drink “High Wine” on a culvert by the river.

At 15:10h on Sunday, she saw the suspects drive up in a boat, and they subsequently shook the hands of her husband and his friend. She said the group of men were having a conversation, and were in high spirits when she left the men and went to tend to her children. She then heard two loud bangs and then discovered her husband and his friend had fallen to the ground.

The gunmen reportedly headed east on the river immediately after the act.

However, contrary to the widow’s report, a farmer, who is a witness in the case, told Police that he did not see any men in a boat, as the woman had said.

His story was quite different from that of Williams.

He reported hearing a third

gunshot after the two men had fallen to the ground.

Meanwhile, Police continue to comb Pomeroon riverine communities in an effort to find leads that may solve the case.

Baharally had been a father of six, while Goddete had lived with his parents.

The mother of Goddete has told media operatives that she just wants her son’s soul to rest in peace, and would leave everything in the Hands of the Almighty.

She said she was not aware that her son had had any old grievance with anyone at any time, and recalled that he had left to spend the day with Baharally.

Police from G Division are currently hunting for one suspect called “Wood” from Shell Beach, Essequibo.

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friDAY, january 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Charity Market Wharf vendors refuse to relocate …as wharf continues to rapidly deteriorate …call for swift action from Central Govt

solid plan before they can relocate their businesses.

“I selling here over 10 years now, and I know this wharf a sink, but we can’t just pack up and move just so, because business done bad already and then we nah go know how long them go take to fix this place. We need a proper plan with the Government,” vendor Andrew (only name given) noted.

Meanwhile, Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt has said the wharf has deteriorated significantly, and he would have raised the issue with the Regional Executive Officer and

By Lakhram Bhagirat

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espite a report presented by the engineer of the Public Infrastructure Ministry claiming that the Charity Market Centre Wharf has sunk more than six inches and poses a serious risk to life and limb, the vendors utilising the area are refusing to relocate until the ministry mobilises a team to execute urgent repairs.

The vendors adopted that position during a consultation exercise with representatives from the Regional Democratic Council and the Charity/Urasara Neighbourhood Democratic Council on Tuesday.

Vice Chairman of the Region, Nandranie Coonjah, said the Market Centre Wharf at Charity has been engaging the attention of the region’s Works Committee since August of 2017, and that is the reason for the initial study on the wharf. She explained that the regional engineer was engaged, and he ventured below the wharf and discovered the rapid deterioration.

“We are concerned about the human resources. Should the wharf collapse, a lot of lives are going to be lost; so the Works Committee came up with the recommendation to have consultation and to close the wharf until something can be done. However, the meeting was organized, we had 18 vendors on board, and they vented their concerns,” she noted.

The VC explained that the consultation was held on Tuesday at the Charity

Some of the rotten pillars at the wharf (Dexter Ceres photos)

Market Square with the vendors, along with the Assistant Regional Executive Officer, NDC representatives, and the engineer; where a presentation on the condition of the wharf was done.

“The engineer gave them a synopsis of what was happening, and what is more disturbing is that this wharf is tied to the public road and the engineer indicated that this wharf is leaning towards the Pomeroon River. Who knows about the Pomeroon knows that it is the deepest river in Guyana, and should that wharf sink in the river, then it is going to pull the entire road, and Charity is a vulnerable area due to the soil texture, and the entire housing/business area could be flooded should this wharf go overboard,” she reported.

Coonjah said that all that information was related to the vendors, but despite that, the vendors are adamant that they would

remain there until Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson mobilise his technical team and visit them and instruct their relocation.

She said the NDC has already blocked off some parts of the wharf to prevent trucks from accessing it, so that the weight would not sink the wharf more.

The VC also noted that after the vendors were steadfast in the refusal to move, the meeting ended and the team took a walk around the area. The engineer pointed out that the wharf has sunken by at least two additional inches and the cracks are getting wider.

Deteriorating state When Guyana Times visited the Market Centre on Thursday, large cracks were observed on the floor, with several rotting boards.

Further, most of the piles beneath the wharf were determined to be no longer able to support the structure. The solid concrete wharf is thus

wharf subsequently and registered its concerns.

“I think it is prudent for us to have the ministry and its technical team to give definitive answers. If we’re to move those vendors as of now, the decision to relocate and for vendors to operate they have to be given clear timelines, and the ministry needs to get on the ground and to have the interactions with our people…It is a very dangerous situation there in Charity,” he lamented.

Ramdatt believes that little is being done in terms of safety and remedial works to the wharf. The structure is 32 years old and requires

A section of the wharf that has separated from the street due to the sinking

sitting precariously on a few remaining piles, and the prognosis is that it would likely collapse.

The vendors reported that they are aware of the dangers posed by the sinking wharf, but they need a

the Public Infrastructure Ministry. He noted that one of their RDC Councillors sits on the National Sea Defence Board and would have raise the issue at that level, and a team would have visited the

urgent attention, since over 30 persons utilize it for vending and countless other for other purposes. It is also a parking area for many persons using their boats to traverse the Pomeroon River.

CDC boosts disaster risk management capacity in Potaro-Siparuni S

takeholders in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) are now better equipped to prepare for and respond to emergencies within the Region, as the Civil Defence Commission

last week concluded the Orientation Session and Tabletop Exercise in partnership with the Regional Democratic Council (RDC).

The Orientation Session and Tabletop Exercise, which was conducted at

Mahdia, was aimed at familiarising regional stakeholders with the draft Regional Risk Assessment Report and draft Regional MultiHazard Preparedness and Response Plan for Region Eight. The report and plan were developed over a fourmonth period, which saw several rounds of consultations with regional stakeholders as well as focused group meetings with communities, all conducted by the CDC. In reviewing the draft report, the participants were able to examine preliminary information regarding risks and hazard exposure within the Region. The draft report demonstrated that the North Pakaraimas communities were most exposed to various hazard impacts. Further, key

Stakeholders in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) at the Orientation Session and Tabletop Exercise in partnership with the Regional Democratic Council (RDC)

drivers of risk within the Region were found to be water pollution, dust pollution, floods, drought, crop pests and diseases, among others. The activity

saw the successful completion of a Tabletop Exercise, which tested the operability of the Regional MultiHazard Preparedness and Response Plan. During the

exercise, participants examined various hazard impact scenarios and simulated emergency response actions which would be carried out by responsible agencies.

Acting Director General, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig said that the Commission remained committed to building Guyana’s disaster risk management capabilities through stakeholder engagements. This is in an effort to build resilience at the regional level so as to reduce disaster risk through enhanced preparedness and response capabilities. He also said that the completion of the plan would give the Region the independence to manage its own disaster planning and resilience.

15 State Minister meets with MARAD relaunches Setter delegation from Estonia after 2 years news

friDAY, january 19, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, and member of the Delegation from Estonia, Marianne Mikko, conversing during the visit

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inister of State, Joseph Harmon, was on Thursday paid a courtesy call by a delegation from Estonia, which included a member of the Estonian President’s Advisory Committee on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) campaign, Marianne Mikko; Ambassador-at-Large and

Head of UNSC Campaign Task Force, Margus Kolga; and UNSC Counsellor Mari Tomingas. The meeting was held in the Minister of State’s office at the Ministry of the Presidency.

In June 2017, Cabinet members benefited from a presentation from Dr Arvo Ott, Executive Director of the e-Governance Academy

in Estonia, and as a follow-up to that engagement, Public Telecommunications Minister Catherine Hughes, and Chairman of the National Data Management Authority (NDMA), Floyd Levi, attended an e-governance conference in Tallinn, Estonia.

Tillerson denies US plans to form Syria border force

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

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S Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that Washington owed Turkey an explanation over reports that it was creating a 30,000-strong border

force in northern Syria, adding that the issue has been “misportrayed”.

“That entire situation has been misportrayed, misdescribed, some people misspoke. We are not creating a border security force at all,” Tillerson told reporters on his way back from giving a speech at Stanford University in California on Wednesday.

Citing several other US officials, reports published earlier this week said that the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group would recruit around half of the new force from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella group of fighters dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and considered

by Ankara to be a “terrorist” group.

The Turkish government said that it would carry out a military operation into Kurdish-held areas in northern Syria if Washington goes ahead with the reported plan. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

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Minister Annette Ferguson at the helm, during the test run of the pilot launch Setter

ollowing much-needed repairs and after being out of commission for over two years, the pilot launch ‘Setter’ was relaunched on Wednesday with a 30-minute test run, by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), on the Demerara River.

The project to rehabilitate the vessel was awarded to the country’s long-serving contractor, Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited (CBCSL), last year at a cost of $37.4M. Present at the relaunching ceremony, at the Courtney Benn Wharf on Water Street, was Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Annette Fergusons, accompanied by representatives from MARAD and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure including representatives

from CBCSL. In brief remarks at the relaunching ceremony, minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry Annette Fergusons noted that the rehabilitation works did not exceed the allocated sum provided, “I must report to you that there was no variation involved”.

The Setter will add to the fleet of two other vessels currently docked for servicing by CBCSL. The rehabilitation of the ‘Aruka’ is expected to be completed in the two months while repairs to the MV Kimbia will entail collaboration with a team of Dutch engineers. The vessel has required extensive works done which range from its engines being returned from Holland where it underwent a massive overhaul, along with others components that are to be

installed. It is expected to be back on the water within the first half of the year.

The ML Thompson is also docked for servicing at the shipyard.

Minister Ferguson said that the Government hopes to keep the vessels on the water for as long as possible and noted that this can be achieved with proper maintenance and upkeep of the vessels.

“Once we (government) have periodic maintenance of these vessels, they can give us some amount of life… This government is committed to ensuring our waterways are made safe.

That is why we invested huge sums of monies to ensure we bring these vessels back into operation,” the minister is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.

Iowa boys arrested after vandalism killed 500,000 bees

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olice have arrested two boys for allegedly vandalising a honey business in the US state of Iowa that killed half a million bees in late December.

The damage to 50 beehives at Wild Hill Honey farm in Sioux City resulted in the honey bees freezing to

death.

The boys aged 12 and 13 are charged with three offences. Wild Hill Honey’s owners said they had caused US$60,000) of damage and called the crime “completely senseless”.

Co-owner Justin Engelhardt told the Sioux

City Journal: “They knocked over every single hive, killing all the bees. They wiped us out completely.”

Engelhardt and his wife discovered the destruction on their property on December 28 when they went to dust off snow from their hives.

“They broke into our shed, they took all our equipment out and threw it out in the snow, smashed what they could. Doesn’t look like anything was stolen, everything was just vandalised or destroyed,” said Mr Engelhardt last month. (Excerpt from BBC News)

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guyanatimesgy.com

friDAY, january 19, 2018

Regional

CELAC, China move towards closer T&T: Murder caught on videotape partnership and greater cooperation shared on social media

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he Second Ministerial Meeting between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will be held in Santiago, Chile on January 22.

As an important practice of the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics following the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, the meeting will set the stage for greater progress in the relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries in the new era.

“During the upcoming forum, our two sides will sum up what has been achieved and plan for the future to take our comprehensive cooperative partnership to a higher level,” he explained.

Established in 2014 at the initiative of President Xi Jinping, the China-CELAC Forum is an important milestone of China’s distinct foreign policy approach, signifying a new stage of mutually reinforcing progress of bilateral ties and regional cooperation in China-LAC relations. Foreign Minister Wang said, “It has extended China’s regional cooperation frameworks to cover all developing countries, contributed to a full-fledged structure of China’s foreign policy, added another platform for South-South cooperation and provided strong support to building a community with a shared future for China and LAC countries.

“Over the past three years, the China-CELAC Forum has made solid steps and delivered tangible results. 17 subforum sessions have been held to promote cooperation in over 10 areas.

The dialogue and exchange mechanisms between the two sides have strengthened and expanded.

he murder of a Diego Martin, Trinidad man on Tuesday night was captured on CCTV and shared on social media Wednesday.

In the 33-second video, two men were seen coming out of a white car and opening fire on a group of men liming at the front of a house.

The gunmen escaped in

the waiting vehicle.

As the gunmen emerged from the car and began shooting, one man is seen running inside the house.

Police reported that around 21:15h, Jerome Ottley, 18 was liming with his friend Atiba Quamina, 25 at Quarry Street, Diego Martin when two men jumped out of a white Nissan Tiida and opened fire.

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(Trinidad Guardian)

2 primary school teachers on sex charges in Jamaica

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi

China’s financing measures towards LAC countries have been steadily implemented, supporting more than 80 projects concerning people’s livelihood in over 20 LAC countries. China has invited over 800 party leaders and 200 young leaders from LAC countries to visit China, and provided nearly 4000 training opportunities and some 200 opportunities for on-thejob master’s programmes.

The “China-LAC Science and Technology Partnership” and the “China-LAC Young Scientists Exchange Program” have been successfully implemented.

The “Year of Cultural Exchanges”, with its diverse and exciting activities, has allowed people in China and Latin America and the Caribbean to get a taste of each other’s splendid culture despite the geographic distance.”

“As envisioned at the 19th National Congress of the CPC, the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics for the new era aims to promote the building of a new form of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind. The remarkable progress of China-LAC re-

lations testifies to the commitment of the CPC central leadership with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core to this diplomatic vision.

“We are committed to mutual respect and peaceful development. President Xi visited LAC countries three times and had substantive interactions with LAC leaders on bilateral and multilateral occasions. Such high-level exchanges have fostered our comprehensive cooperative partnership of equality, mutual benefit and common development, ushered in a new, five-dimensional relationship and charted a new blueprint for China and LAC countries to build a community with a shared future.”

At the First Ministerial Meeting in Beijing in 2015, co-chaired by Minister Wang and his Costa Rican counterpart, Manuel Gonzalez Sanz, three major documents were passed: the Beijing Declaration, a five-year cooperation plan and the regulations on the China-CELAC forum.

China and CELAC also reached a consensus on deepening political mutual trust, expanding cooperation and promoting development of the forum.

wo primary school teachers — one from St Catherine and the other from St Thomas — are facing sexual assault charges for acts allegedly committed against their students, who at that level would not be more than 12 years old.

In the St Catherine incident, detectives assigned to the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse charged the school teacher, whose name is currently being withheld to facilitate further investigations, with: having sexual intercourse with a person under 16; indecent assault; and grievous sexual assault.

Police alleged that the accused, who teaches the complainant at a primary school in the parish, allegedly convinced the child to en-

gage him in sexual activities on more than one occasion.

The constabulary’s Corporate Communication Unit said the St Thomas Teacher was arrested and charged on Tuesday, also for the offence of having sexual intercourse with a person under 16.

The Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse reported that the accused,

Government buildings and stole weapons from a military base in what he called a rebellion against President Nicolás Maduro.

The Opposition coalition, which had been due to meet Government officials in the Dominican Republic, was furious at an accusation

by Interior Minister Nestor Reverol that it provided information leading to the operation.

“We demand a rectification of these accusations,” the Opposition said in a statement, confirming it was

pulling out of Thursday’s talks but would be open to future meetings.

Previous attempts at talks, including one led by the Vatican, have failed in recent years.

Opposition leaders are demanding Maduro accept humanitarian assistance from abroad to ease a severe economic crisis that has led to shortages of food and medicines and are also calling for the release of several hundred jailed political activists.(Excerpt from Reuters)

who also teaches the complainant, allegedly convinced the child to engage him in sexual activities on more than one occasion.

He is scheduled to appear before the St Thomas Parish Court on Wednesday, January 24 to answer to the charges.

The name of the St Thomas teacher is also being withheld to facilitate further investigations. (Jamaica Observer)

Political debate in Grenada heats up ahead of general elections

Venezuela talks off in row over fugitive ex-Policeman’s death alks between V e n e z u e l a ’ s Government and the Opposition coalition foundered on Thursday after the Opposition denied providing information that led to the death of a rogue former Policeman and six other anti-government militants.

Oscar Perez, a photogenic former pilot who once starred in an action film, was killed on Monday along with six others in a Police raid on a remote house.

Last year he used a hijacked helicopter to attack

Ottley, of Edward Street, Diego Martin, died on the scene, while Quamina was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he remains in a serious condition.

Both men, according to Police, were not known to be involved in criminal activities. Ottley is the 35th person to be killed this month

Prime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell (left) and Opposition Leader, Senator Nazim Burke

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ith the date for the next general elections in Grenada due to be announced later this month, political debate in the country is heating up in anticipation of a polling day in March.

Pointing to the lack of innovation in agriculture and the significant trade imbalance between Grenada and its trade partners, local talk-show host Kem Jones in a Facebook Live broadcast

stated that Prime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell was visionless and lacked the ideas and energy to take on the challenges of Grenada for another full term.

Citing the lack of growth in agriculture, wasted opportunities in manufacturing and weakening trade opportunities, Jones suggested that it was now time to move forward with new leadership and away from Mitchell, who has served over 17 years in

two terms as Prime Minister of Grenada.

Also citing allegations with regard to the monopolisation of the export of nutmeg, Jones also claimed that Mitchell may have more information with regard to a preference for Russian investors over that of local Grenada farmers, something which he indicated is a reason why the weakening of the trade imbalance harms Grenada significantly.

As reported by the World Bank in 2015, Grenada exported US$34.9 million in goods and imported US$174 million, resulting in a negative trade balance of US$139 million.

Dr Mitchell is expected to lead the governing New National Party (NNP) into the next general elections against National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader and Leader of the Opposition, Senator Nazim Burke. (Excerpt

from CaribbeanNewsNow)

friDAY, january 19, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

17

Around the World

Russia accuses Washington of Bus fire leaking diplomats’ bank details kills 52 in

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ussia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday accused US officials of leaking to the media confidential financial details of Russian diplomats working in the United States, and demanded that those responsible be punished.

US media outlet Buzzfeed reported this week that US officials investigating allegations of Kremlin interference in the 2016 US presidential election were studying records of financial transactions involving Russian diplomats. Buzzfeed cited details of several bank transfers.

“It’s obvious that this could not have happened without the knowledge of the authorities of that country (the United States),” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

“In other words, this intrusion on the sanctity of the accounts of the embassy and its staff, who have diplomat-

ic immunity, is the work of Washington officialdom.”

The statement said that the transactions that were leaked

contained nothing except routine payments, but that these were being twisted to make them appear suspicious.

“Once again we have to note that Washington is not ensuring the appropriate conditions for the functioning of Russia’s diplomatic missions. The pressure on them continues and is growing,” said the Ministry.

“We demand that the American authorities, at last, start implementing their own national laws and international obligations, immediately stop the unlawful distribution of confidential information .... and hold responsible those who are to blame, including those who hold relevant posts in the American state administration.” (Reuters)

Kazakhstan

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bus fire in north-western Kazakhstan killed 52 Uzbek citizens on a route used by migrant workers heading to Russia, the Kazakh Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

The bus was travelling along a road in the remote Aktobe region that links the Russian city of Samara to Shymkent, a city in southern Kazakhstan close to the Uzbek border.

The route is widely used to transport Uzbek workers to and from Russia where they often take work on building sites.

Only five people managed to escape the burning vehicle, the Interior Ministry’s emergencies department said in a statement.

The Ministry said the apparent accident had happened at 10:30h (0430 GMT), but provided no details about its cause. It said senior Government officials would investigate the matter. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Belgium pledges US$23M to Trump sows confusion as Palestinians after US aid cut Republicans scramble to avert

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency supports about five million Palestinians [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters]

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elgium has pledged to donate 19 million euro (US$23 million) to UNRWA, the UN’s aid organisation for Palestinian refugees, after the US Government announced it

would slash its funding to the agency by half.

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in a statement on Wednesday that Brussels would allocate the funds over three years.

The first annual payment is being disbursed immediately “considering the financial difficulties that UNRWA currently faces”, the statement said.

Washington announced on Tuesday it was withholding US$65 million out of the US$125 million aid package earmarked for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, or UNRWA. De Croo said the Belgian Government stepped up in response to the urgent call for help by the Commissioner General of UNRWA, an agency that provides humanitarian help to millions of Palestinian refugees. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

shutdown

In May last year, now US President Donald Trump tweeted that the country needed “a good shutdown”

P

resident Donald Trump has appeared to undercut his party’s attempts to reach a bud-

get deal with Democrats, on the eve of a possible government shutdown.

In a tweet, the Republican

President criticised a sweetener added to the spending bill by congressional leaders to win Democratic lawmakers’ votes.

The White House later had to issue a statement maintaining the President fully endorsed the shortterm measure.

The last US shutdown occurred in 2013 and lasted for 16 days.

The House of Representatives was due to vote on the spending measure on Thursday afternoon.

But it is unclear if there are enough votes to pass it in either the House or Senate.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

South Africa: Cape Town slashes water Deadly storm causes chaos in Europe use amid drought

T

he South African city of Cape Town will slash residents’ water allowance to 50 litres a day from next month amid fears that it could become the world’s first major city to run out of water.

The city had reached a “point of no return”, Mayor Patricia de Lille said.

Cape Town, a popular tourist destination, has been hit by its worst drought in a century.

De Lille warned that the

city risked reaching “Day Zero” on April 21, when taps in homes could run dry.

“We can no longer ask people to stop wasting water. We must force them,” she said at a press conference.

“Despite our urging for months, 60 per cent of Capetonians are callously using more than 87 litres per day,” she added, referring to the current daily limit. (Excerpt from BBC News)

F

ive people have been killed in storm-related accidents as hurricane-strength winds tear across northern Europe.

Three people died after being hit by falling trees and

Netanyahu woos India’s Bollywood stars

P

rime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wooed Bollywood heavyweights in Mumbai on Thursday at “Shalom Bollywood”, a high-profile official outreach programme by the Israeli Government to improve its image abroad.

“We believe in Bollywood.

World loves Bollywood. Israel loves Bollywood. We want Bollywood in Israel. We are putting our money where our mouth is,” Netanyahu said at the event before asking the stars in attendance to join him on stage for a selfie “like the one at the Oscars”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Bollywood stars for a selfie ‘like the one at the Oscars’ [Shailesh Andrade/Reuters]

Mumbai’s multibillion-dollar Hindi film industry is the largest in the world. India produces 1900 films a year on average.

Among those in attendance at the event at a luxury hotel in India’s commercial capital were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, actor Amitabh Bachchan, and actress Aishwarya Rai. Welcoming Netanyahu to India, Bachchan, one of India’s most popular actors, said: “May cinema further fructify the strength of ties between India and Israel.” (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

debris in the Netherlands and one in Germany.

A second German was killed in a collision when his van was blown on to the wrong side of the road.

Facing gusts of up to 140 kilometres per hour (km/h), Germany’s train operator Deutsche Bahn cancelled all long-distance services for the rest of Thursday.

Many regional services were also cancelled.

Flights at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam – one of the busiest in Europe – were briefly suspended and two of its three departure halls were closed after roof plates were blown off the terminal building.

More than 300 flights were cancelled and the airport said passengers should check their flights status online or contact their airline.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

18

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friDAY, january 19, 2018

ARCHIE

You can make a differARIES ence if you plan your actions (March 21- carefully. An unexpected inApril 19) terruption will add to your stress if you have taken on too much. Gauge your time carefully.

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WORD GAME

SUDOKU

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RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” is not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed. To contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe, write to Word Game, Kathleen Saxe, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Emotional spending or PISCES (Feb. 20- making promises you probaMarch 20) bly won’t want to keep should be eschewed. You are best off using your insight and creative mind to overcome obstacles.

friDAY, january 19, 2018

19

Kohli and Smith win big at ICC awards

I

Virat Kohli

ndia's Virat Kohli hit a windfall at the ICC awards after being named both cricketer and captain of the year. He also regained a trophy he had won for the first time in 2012 as he was named ODI player of the year as well. The corresponding prize for Test cricket went to Australia's Steven Smith.

In the qualification period from September 21, 2016 to the end of 2017, Kohli scored 2,203 Test runs at an average of 77.80 including six double-centuries, 1,818 ODI runs at 82.63 including seven hundreds, and 299 T20I runs at a strike-rate of 153. With him at the helm, India are ranked among the top three teams in the world as well. All of that came culminated in his becoming the ICC cricketer of the year and winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.

"It's probably the biggest award that we have in world cricket," Kohli said. "Two Indians getting it back to back makes it more special. Last time it was [R] Ashwin, this time I'm getting it so I'm really really honoured and I'd like to thank the ICC for recognising all

the hard work that we all put in for our respective sides and I want to congratulate all the other winners also."

Smith's numbers were equally mind-boggling. Though the coup de grace was his performance in the Ashes, scoring runs with such frequency that comparisons with Don Bradman was made with every passing innings, he has been in sublime form for at least four years, scoring over 1000 Test runs in each of them. In the ICC's qualification period, he made 1,875 runs in 16 matches at an average of 78.12, with eight hundreds and five half-centuries.

"It's a great honour to receive this award for the second time, having won it in 2015 as well," Smith said. "It's called Test cricket for a reason, and I've enjoyed that test of my ability over the past 12 months.

"I got six Test hundreds for the year in 2017, which I was pleased about. I was pleased with the way I played but what pleased me most of all was that I helped us win Tests and, most importantly, The Ashes. To make a contribution in big matches and in big series and assist the team is what it is all about for me, and if I'm doing that

then there's a good chance that awards like this will follow."

Four of the last five ICC Test players of the year are Australian, starting with Michael Clarke in 2013, Mitchell Johnson in 2014 and Smith in 2015 and 2017.

Moving to ODIs, Kohli was among the prime candidates to win the award. Only 29 years old, he hit his 32nd century recently, going past Ricky Ponting's tally and moving ever closer to Sachin Tendulkar's. "Twenty-sixteen for me I think was a breakthrough year and I was able to continue in 2017 also," he said. "I think I worked even harder in 2017 and understand this has been a good phase for me but I will have to work even harder in future to play the same level of cricket I have been able to play in the past two years. But yeah, 2017 was indeed a very special year for me."

Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali was named emerging player of 2017. This follows his becoming the quickest from his country to 50 ODI wickets (in 24 matches) and a player-of-the-series winning performance in the Champions Trophy. The 23-year old also topped the ICC rankings in oneday cricket when his career was

only 426 days old. Only two others have risen to the top at a better rate.

"It has been memorable past 16 months for me as a young player and Pakistan as a team," Hasan said.

"This acknowledgement will not only inspire me to do even better in the coming seasons but will also convince the next generation of cricketers that hard work and good performances can never go unnoticed.

"This award is for all those who believed and backed us in the journey, and look forward to their continued patronage as the next 18 months will be more challenging with the World Cup in 2019."

Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan legspinner, was named the Associate player of the year and claimed a place in the ODI team of 2017 as well.

India's wristspinner Yuzvendra Chahal taking 6 for 25 to send England crashing from 113 for 2 to 127 all out was adjudged the T20I

Steve Smith

perf o r mance of the year.

The ICC distributed their awards for women's cricket in December 2017, with Australia's Ellyse Perry winning player of the year. (Cricinfo)

James determined to work through Hurricanes’ "very challenging" Cavaliers season Saunders fined

T

he Cleveland Cavaliers have lost nine of their last 12 games and LeBron James has acknowledged the season has proved to be a struggle.

Very little has gone right for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the last month, and LeBron James fully acknowledged just how tough this season has been after practice on Wednesday.

They have lost nine of their last 12 games and now sit just a half-game up on the Miami Heat for the third playoff spot in the NBA's Eastern Conference.

"It's been very challenging," James was quoted as telling reporters by ESPN. "Just from the simple fact of how many guys have been in and out.

This is a difficult year for our team. Seems like I say that every year, but this one has been even more challenging."

Cleveland knew the season was going to be rough in the beginning as they were not expecting to have guard Isaiah Thomas playing until January.

Thomas is back in the line-up but still

the team is mired in problems.

The Cavaliers are 2-3 with Thomas on the court and are allowing 123 points per game in those five outings.

Cleveland is 25th in the league in points allowed per game, and are allowing nearly 18 points more per time out with Thomas on the court.

James talked about having a consistent plan on the c o u r t

earlier this year and how that made the defense better during their 13game winning streak. The team has not yet had that consistency with Thomas on the court. He has missed two of the last five games and has been on a minutes restriction as well.

It may simply take time for Cleveland to get better with Thomas in the mix once he is fully in shape, but as of now they are struggling, and James acknowledged that the team's inconsistent roster has played into their problems.

"With everybody who has been out and coming back in, and the rotations, and things of that nature, it's been very challenging on our team," he said.

"But we have to figure it out. At the end of the day, we have a game every other day or every two days just like everybody else in the NBA. We have to go out and play."

(Sportsmax)

EC$300 on cannabis charge S t.

Kitts cricketer Akeem Saunders was on Thursday fined EC$300 on a charge of importation of cannabis when he appeared before Magistrate Emmanuel at the All Saints Magistrate’s Court in District B in Antigua.

Saunders, who plays for the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, was arrested on Monday, January 15, when he arrived in Antigua in transit to St. Kitts. On his arrival, Narcotics police and others from the K9 Division discovered 13gs of cannabis in his shoe.

He was subsequently charged with importa-

tion of cannabis and possession of cannabis. He was first brought to court on Tuesday, January 16, but was remanded until Thursday when he was convicted on the importation charge and reprimanded on the charge of possession.

Police in Antigua said he returned to St. Kitts on Thursday.

The 23-year-old righthand batsman has scored just over 400 runs so far in the Digicel Regional 4-Day competition this season.

He scored 64 runs against Barbados on December 7 and 101 against Guyana December 14. (Sportsmax)

20

FRIDAY, january 19, 2018

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

“I’m not here to play games” …Dharry sounds ominous warning

By Michelangelo Jacobus

U

ndefeated in his last 18 fights, Guyanese professional boxer and current WBC CABOFE, IBF InterContinental and Guyana Bantamweight champion, Elton

WBC CABOFE, IBF Inter-Continental and Guyana Bantamweight champion, Elton “The Coolie Bully” Dharry will be gunning for a knockout victory on Saturday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall

“The Coolie Bully” Dharry has declared that he is not here to play games come Saturday at the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC)/ Nexgen Global Marketing ‘Sangre Malo’ Fight Card.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport on Thursday, Dharry boldly declared; “for thirteen years, I’ve made my professional debut and from the first fight I lived up to expectations.

Every fight that I step into the ring, I bring everything; I’m willing to leave it, to do everything to win. It’s not a game for me, I’m not joking around, it’s not a game, it’s a brutal sport to be in and I prepared myself physically and mentally so I will do the necessary to win.”

The lithe, ripped and lightning fast bantamweight pugilist who was born in Leguan, Essequibo, now resides in the USA and trains at the world renowned Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, New York under

the watchful eye of trainer Lennox Blackmore.

At 32-years-old Dharry has had a very successful professional career; he has fought 27 times, won 21, lost five and drawn once. Of those 21 victories Dharry has inflicted 16 knockouts and has the distinction of having never been knocked out by anyone.

He will face Venezuelan boxer Jesus Garcia on Saturday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) and he is adamant that he will give his all to defend home turf.

“It’s always a pleasure to come home in front of my people; I always brutally train myself to be prepared to come home and represent my people and to give them a victory, to make them proud.

Saturday night it’s going to be one hell of a fight, I’m always ready, I’m always prepared, mentally, physically I’m ready to win and nobody is going to stop me in my country.

This is my country, I’m here to rep-

resent like I have always done for the past 13 years, I’m undefeated in Guyana and I plan to keep that going until I stop (retire).”

Since going pro in 2004 at the CASH, Dharry has maintained an impeccable record of seven wins in seven fights at the venue and he has no plans of letting it go as the arena holds a special place in his heart.

“I have history in that arena, I won my first pro fight there, I won my first title there, I had one of my toughest fights there and I have beaten fighters there that I was told I couldn’t beat, I have a lot of history there, not just my history but a lot of great fighters as well.”

Meanwhile Dharry’s trainer Lennox Blackmore has predicted a knockout victory for his fighter; “I’m not saying this because it’s what you (fans) want to hear, I’m telling you it is what Elton’s going to do”.

UCI President wants Team Sky to suspend Froome

C

hris Froome should be stood down by Team Sky during the investigation into an adverse drugs test, according to the UCI president.

International Cycling Union (UCI) president David Lappartient has called for Team Sky to suspend its star rider Chris Froome while an investiga-

tion into the adverse drugs test he returned during the Vuelta a Espana continues.

Froome is under scrutiny after a urine sample submitted during his successful Vuelta campaign showed elevated levels of the asthma medication salbutamol.

Salbutamol is permitted

by WADA rules without the need for a therapeutic use

exemption (TUE) when inhaled up to a limit of 1,600 micrograms over 24 hours.

However, the sample returned by Froome displayed a concentration of the substance that was double the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) threshold of 1,000 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml).

The rider has insisted

he has not broken the rules, while Sky's general manager David Brailsford has said he is confident Froome stayed "within the permissible dose for salbutamol".

The adverse finding does not necessarily constitute a breach of the rules and Froome has not been hit with a provisional suspension.

Brathwaite replaces Holder as Pride’s Captain

W

indies captain Jason Holder has been replaced as Barbados captain for the Regional Super50 tournament by regional vice-captain Kraigg Brathwaite.

The 26-year-old Holder took charge of t h e

Windies ODI squad in 2014 and has appeared in 70 matches, including 49 as Windies captain. The batsman enjoyed success with the team after leading them to the regional title last season and has been included in the squad but will surprisingly serve under the less experienced Brathwaite.

Brathwaite who has played in just ten one day internationals became the 37th Windies Test captain after Holder was suspended for a slow over-rate ahead of the second Test against New Zealand in December.

Other changes to the squad saw the omission of left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, left-handed opener Anthony Alleyne and fast bowler Miguel Cummins who were all part of the triumphant squad.

Promising fast bowler Chemar Holder who had success in the WPCL Regional 4-Day has also been included in the squad.

Shamar Springer, who was part of the West Indies side that captured the 2016 ICC Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh has also been included.

Squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Chemar Holder, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Ashley Nurse, Omar Phillips, Kemar Roach, Shamar Springer and Kevin Stoute.(Sportsmax)

Chris Froome N e v e r t h e l e s s , Lappartient, who was elected to replace Brian Cookson as UCI chief in September, feels the four-time Tour de France champion should not be permitted by his team to compete while an investigation into the situation continues.

"Sky should suspend Froome," Lappartient was quoted as telling Le Telegramme by L'Equipe.

"Now, it's not up to me to interfere. Without wishing to comment on the rider's guilt, it would be easier for everyone [if Froome was suspended by his team].

"It's up to Brailsford to take his responsibilities.

Quite apart from that, I think that's what the other riders want.

"They're fed up with the general image.

"Whether the test result is abnormal or not, either naturally or fraudulently, it's awful: in the eyes of the wider public he's already guilty.

"We're in the hands of the experts. It's up to Froome to demonstrate the reasons for

such a high level of salbutamol, it's up to him to prove his innocence."

When contacted by Omnisport, Team Sky declined the opportunity to respond to Lappartient's comments.

Froome is due to compete at the Giro d'Italia, the only grand tour event he is yet to win, in May, and Lappartient is concerned the matter will not be settled when the race begins.

"It's going to be a judicial battle that will last a long time," he said. "This affair won't be sorted out in two minutes, it could last at least a year."

After news of the adverse sample emerged last month, Froome insisted he will cooperate fully with the UCI's investigation.

"I certainly haven't broken any rules here," he told BBC Sport.

"I know what those rules are, I know what those limits are and I have never been over those limits. I have given all that information to the UCI to help get to the bottom of it." (Sportsmax)

sports

friDAY, january 19, 2018 | www.guyanatimesgy.com

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ennis ace Sachia Vickery met with president of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) Juman Yassin as the world-rated player intensifies her interest to represent Guyana at the Tokyo Olympics and other major international tournaments.

The 22-year-old, born to Guyanese parents, Paula Liverpool and Rawle Vickery had expressed her desire to don the colours of the ‘Golden Arrowhead’ at the XXXII Summer Olympic Games, July 24 – August 9 in Japan.

Despite not being born in Guyana, Vickery, at her Grand Slam appearances would identify with Guyana, even sporting some memorabilia of the country’s flag, which caught the attention of Guyanese around the world.

“I’m open to representing Guyana at the Olympics. It’s my home country and that would be something that’s a dream of mine in the future. Even though I wasn’t born in Guyana, I still consider myself Guyanese. I embrace the whole culture and I always love going back, so I do consider myself Guyanese,” Vickery said on Thursday.

Yassin had welcomed Vickery’s intentions, adding “This is great news…this is something the GOA is happy about.”

GOA President KA Juman Yassin (left) and tennis player Sachia Vickery at their meeting at Olympic House on Thursday (Delano Williams photo)

Upon her return on Tuesday, Vickery met with Minister of Social Cohesion Dr George Norton, where she told reporters, “I always feel happy about coming back home. I actually made a last minute decision to come just because I wanted to see all my family and kind of visit everybody, and also I got a lot of support when I was over at the tournament (in New Zealand), whether it was messages or people calling my mom, emailing my mom and just congratulating me about the tournament. So I was really happy to come back because I felt a lot of support.”

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

Meanwhile, the World 102-ranked player will be hosting a ‘give-back’ drive on Friday at the GBTI Tennis Court, Bel Air from 6 – 8pm, “I’m also here to give back to some players, it may not be a lot, but I’m sure that the little token could inspire someone.”

“I know how it feels to be given something, especially something that you’re passionate about. So I have some racquets and other stuff that I brought back to give to some up-coming players and I it takes them a far way,” the always smiling tennis player said.

From cricket to basketball; RHTY&SC makes another donation

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SERVICES

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to solidify Olympic Games quest T

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he Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTY&SC), MS through its Gizmos & Gadgets First Division and Under-21 Cricket Teams on Monday handed over a financial donation to the Rose Hall Town Basketball Club to assist in in the t purchase of new basketballs for the 2018 season.

Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated that the Rose Hall Town Basketball Club requested the assistance and the request was approved immediately as RHTY&SC is fully aware of the outstanding work the club was doing to not only promoting the game but also keeping youths off the road and away from a life of Drugs, Crime and Alcohol.

Foster stated has decided at an Executive level to scale back on donations to cricket clubs and to assist other sports organisations based on funds available.

This decision, Foster disclosed was be-

cause the club has already assisted over 100 Cricket Clubs in Berbice with millions worth of gears, scorebooks and equipment and it was view that these clubs should start to assist themselves.

Special emphasis would be placed on games such as basketball, volleyball, football, scrabble, chess and table tennis and RHTY&SC would assist Clubs with trophies, medals, prizes and where possible, finance.

The basketball team has no relationship with the RHTY&SC but shares the Area ‘H’ Ground as its home venue.

The Team plays on the all-weather court which was built with funds obtained in 1998 by cricket club from the President of Guyana, Janet Jagan. The Team recently has dominated basketball in the ancient county and has produced one National Player Kevlon Wiggins. Perry Cort of the Basketball Team expressed gratitude for the support.

RHTY&SC would also engage the Basketball Team in discussion latter in the year to discuss upgrading the all weather Court. Floodlights would shortly be installed with funding obtained by RHTY&SC from the Region 6 Regional Democratic Council.

The Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets Under-21 and First Division Teams are led

by Kevlin Sinclair and Shown Pereira respectively and includes players like Assad Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Shemaine Campbelle, Erva Giddings, Eon Hooper, Clinton Pestano, Jason Sinclair, Junior Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Keith Simpson, Sylus Tyndall, Chanderpaul Govindan and Collis Butts. Both teams plan to host at least 50 personal development projects in 2018.

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

friDAY, january 19, 2018

"Tage" striving for greater consistency

By Akeem Greene

B

eing consistent is crucial since that is the only way you can be selected so I need to try keep getting good scores. I am excited about getting my first hundred at this level and I hope to get some more runs and finish the season the well”.

Those were the words of Guyana Jaguars opening batsman Tagenarine Chanderpaul as he reflected to Guyana Times Sport on scoring his maiden FirstClass century on Sunday against Barbados Pride in the ninth round of the 2017-18 Cricket West Indies/ Digicel four-day championship.

After falling failing to get off the mark in his first innings the son of batting maestro Shivnarine Chanderpaul went to work against Pride at Kensington Oval. He started the final day on 66 and grafted the remaining 35 runs in fine style and struck consecutive boundaries off the bowling of Jonathon Cater to his reach his landmark. The compact lefthander spent over six and half hours at the crease, just striking nine fours.

Reflecting on the magical moment which was celebrated with his father watching from the pavilion, the former West Indies under-19 player stated “the ball before he [Jonathon Cater] bowled a full toss and I hit it to mid-wicket and I just thought if he hits the deck I will pull it away and that

A moment to savour! Tagenarine Chanderpaul celebrates scoring his maiden First-Class century with teammate Raymon Reifer at the Kensington Oval

is what he did and it worked as planned”.

Prior to match, the player who is commonly known as Brandon was in a lean patch with scores of 36, 0, 4 and 6; added to that he

Rising tennis star Vickery to give back R ising tennis star Sachia Vickery after committing to represent Guyana at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo will be giving back to the land of her par-

e n t s today at the GBTI Tennis Courts in Bel Air, Georgetown.

Vickery who met with Social Cohesion Minister, Dr Georger Norton on Wednesday told the media that she would be visiting the courts at 18:00h to meet and mingle with the Guyanese tennis players as well as to distribute racquets and other gears to the younger children.

Sachia’s mother, Paula Liverpool hails from Kwakwani while her father Rawle Vickery was born in Linden.

Vickery is still relishing her well-deserved climb in the latest World Rankings and is on the verge

of breaking into the WTA’s Top 100 for the first time after s h e had the best week of h e r career i n

missed the eight round due to illness. In the earlier rounds he racked up scores of 84 (his previous best), 52 and 62 not out; however, his father’s advice did the trick for a change in fortunes.

“I had a few games where I did not get any scores and my dad and I worked on a few things in the nets so I would say he helped me a lot. He always says when you get in try and make use of the opportunity and don’t give your wicket away.

Even if you get a hundred just keep batting and don’t give away your wicket because as an opener sometimes you don’t always get in so when you do, you have to cash in and try get some big runs” Prior to the start of the final round on Thursday, his eight matches reaped 423 runs at average of 38.45 which is a great degree better than his overall record of 28.75 after 24 matches. He has six half-centuries in the 1179 runs accumulated.

“Hopefully I can progress from here. The hope is to get selected for Windies and I know if I get more runs that can happen”.

Young Chanderpaul has stated his desire for ‘big runs’ and a lot of them in the near future, and to hopefully wear the maroon

As the picture perfect comparisons c o n tinue between him and ‘Papa’, the 21 yearold maintains he has his own unique way of playing.

“I have my own style. It’s fourday cricket you don’t need to go swiping after everything.

You just need to take your time and bat since there is a lot of time.

Every game is an opportunity and I just apply myself again, start new and try and get stuck-in and get some runs”.

The Everest Cricket Club cricketer has also reaped success with his club mate Chandrapaul Hemraj and former under-19 teammate at the top of the order giving the four-time championships solid starts more often than not this season.

“I know Hemmy from way back since under-19 and we are very comfortable with each other.

It is quite easy, since we play club cricket together so the communication is going quite well”.

Sparks expected to fly at “Sangre Malo” weigh-in The Guyanese boxers and their rivals will be at the Giftland Mall’s Entertainment Strip today from 14:30h for the weigh-in ceremony

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Auckland, New Zealand.

She not only reached the first WTA semi-final of her career, but also set a brand new career-high of No.106 in the world (according to the latest WTA Rankings).

he atmosphere is tense and fans are eagerly anticipating the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC)/Nexgen Global Marketing’s International fight card “Sangre Malo- Bad Blood” set for Saturday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).

However, fans and Guyanese will have a chance to catch a glimpse of the fighters today at the official weigh in. The weigh in will take place at the Giftland Mall, Liliendaal in the Entertainment Strip from 14:30 hrs.

Alim Hussain of Nexgen Global Marketing, promoter of the fight card has promised fireworks at the weigh in since he noted that the Guyanese boxers are pumped and rearing to go at it especially since their pride on home soil is on the line.

Among the local boxers who fans will get an opportunity to glimpse and mingle with are Elton “The Coolie Bully” Dharry, Dexter

“Cobra” Gonsalves and “The Kid” Dexter Marques.

The local pugilists are all looking in top shape and will be gunning for outright victories on Saturday.

Dharry who has been undefeated in his last 18 fights has already thrown down the gauntlet by declaring that he is aiming to knockout his opponent Jesus Garcia.

The main supporting bout on the card will feature Corbin facing Lawrence in a 12-round contest for the World Boxing Council’s Fecabox light heavyweight title. Corbin is making a return to the ring after losing to England’s Nathen Clevery in 2014 for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title. He has won 15 of his 22 professional fights and lost five with two draws. Lawrence has won 10 fights (eight by K.O’s) and lost one. He won his last four bouts.

United States -based Guyanese, Elton Dharry, who is the current CABOFE and Inter-Continental bantamweight champion will take on Jesus

Garcia of Venezuela in an eight round contest.

Dharry arrived in Guyana on early Tuesday while the local boxers continued their rigorous training routines throughout the week.

The fighters met with Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Sport, Dr George Norton on Wednesday and the Minister promptly declared his support for the Guyanese corner.

Heavyweight debutants Moore (Guyana) and Emmanuel (Barbados) will face-off in a four-round contest.

Guyana’s Anson Green and Barbados’ King will clash in a fourround junior middleweight contest also.

Fight fans are reminded to get their tickets early as the promoter, Aleem Hussain, has predicted a sold out arena come Saturday night.

Tickets cost $4,000 for VIP, $2,000 for Ringside and $1,000 for stands; they are on sale at the Giftland Stores and Assuria General Insurance offices in Georgetown, Diamond, Berbice, Parika and Vreed-en-Hoop.

FRIDAY, january 19, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

23

CWI/Digicel Regional 4-Day Championships 2017-18

Reifer blows away Red Force – Hemraj hits rapid 72

By John Ramsingh

A

devastating spell of seam bowling from Raymon Reifer was backed up by a solid opening partnership ensured that the Guyana Jaguars end the opening day of their 10th round clash with Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in a commanding position.

Playing in the final round of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Digicel Regional Four-Day tournament at Providence on Thursday, the visitors won the toss and decided to bat in sunny conditions, a move which backfired and saw them being bowled out in 45 overs for a paltry 135 with the champs replying with 116-1 at stumps.

The architect of destruction was left-arm seamer Reifer whose two spells with the wind behind him picked up 5-40, his fourth five-wicket haul in just his third match of the season.

The Red Force batting melt down began as early as Reifer’s third over in

his opening burst with the new ball when he picked up three wickets. First to go was Amir Jangoo who edged to second slip where Shimron Hetmyer deflected the ball to Chandrapaul Hemraj. Tion Webster was comprehensively bowled by the very next ball when he played back to a ball that

the top of the middle stump and suddenly Reifer was on a hat trick.

Jason Mohammed, playing his first game after returning from New Zealand then drove his fifth ball straight to short extra-cover to leave the Red Force out of steam at 15-3.

Their leading batsman this season, Denesh Ramdin then joined Jeremy Solozano and put on 37 for the fourth wicket. The young

Guyana Jaguars' bowling hero, Raymon Reifer leads his team off the field after a clinical bowling performance on Thursday at Providence

pitched on leg stump and swung back to hit and break

opener flicked Veerasammy Permaul straight to silly

mid-wicket where Akshaya Persaud pouched it. The visitors went to lunch at 82-4 with Ramdin on 38 and Yannic Cariah on seven.

After the interval, Cariah was run out after a mix-up with his captain and was followed by Steven Katwaroo in the next over who was Keemo Paul’s first victim.

After being roughed up throughout his innings by Paul, Ramdin was comprehensively beaten and looked back to see his offstump knocked back after reaching 50 for the seventh time this season.

Reifer was then brought back and together with Paul mowed down the final three wickets with the score on 135.

When the Jaguars began the reply, openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Chandrapaul Hemraj then put together their second century partnership of the season to further consolidate the four-time champions dominance.

Hemraj was the more attacking and brought up his fifth half century of the season. However, when seemed well set for his maiden ton, he drove straight to mid-off

where Daniel St. Clair took the easy catch to end the partnership on 109. Hemraj hit 11 fours and two sixes from 111 left a disappointed man.

At stumps, Test batsman Hetmyer, back after international duties in New Zealand, was on four and Chanderpaul on 34 (4x4) with the Jaguars 19 runs behind.

The champs left out Vishaul Singh and Anthony

Adams while Isaiah Rajah and Kharry Piere did not break in to the Red Force’s final XI. The action continues from 09:30h today with the Jaguars looking to perhaps bat once and have a bowl at the bottom of the table visitors with the aim of wrapping up the tournament unbeaten. The Red Force no doubt, will look to pick up wickets and force their way back into contention.

SCOREBOARD

Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 1st Innings A Jangoo c Hemraj b Reifer 7 J Solozano c Persaud b Permaul 21 T Webster b Reifer 0 J Mohammed c Permaul b Reifer 0 D Ramdin* b Paul 50 Y Cariah run out 26 S Katwaroo+ c wkpr Bramble b Paul 0 I Khan c Motie b Reifer 13 D St. Clair c Permaul b Reifer 0 A Phillip lbw b Paul 0 B Charles not out 0 Extras (b-1, lb-6, w-1, nb-10) 18 Total (All out; 44.3 Overs) 135 FOW: 1-14, 2-14, 3-15, 4-52, 5-109, 6-110, 7-129, 8-135, 9-135, 10-135

Bowling Paul 14.3-4-36-3, Reifer 11-1-40-5, Rutherford 5-0-18-0, Permaul 11-530-1, Motie 3-0-4-0 Guyana Jaguars 1st Innings T Chanderpaul not out 34 C Hemraj c St. Clair b Charles 72 S Hetmyer not out 4 Extras (b-0, lb-0, w-2, nb-4) 6 Total (For 1 wicket, 43 overs) 116 Yet to bat L Johnson*, A Persaud, A Bramble, R Reifer, K Paul, SRutherford, V Permaul, G Motie Bowling Phillip 7-4-12-0, St. Clair 7-1-27-0, Charles 14-625-1, Webster 6-0-25-0, Khan 8-2-27-0, Mohammed 1-1-0-0 Position: Jaguars trail by 19 runs with 9 wickets in hand

Milo Schools Football growing from strength to strength – Mendonca …6th edition kicks off January 27

T

he sixth edition of the annual Petra Organised Milo Schools Football was hailed as a growing revelation for youth football by Petra’s Co-Director Troy Mendonca at the launching on Thursday at Beepats, Dennis Street, Sophia warehouse.

Mendonca felt the growth of players from the tournament to national teams speaks volumes of its success and they as organisers achieving their goal when they undertook the project. He also thanked the company for their continued support and hopes in years going ahead they can expand even further.

The 2017 tournament contained 32 teams but this year it is limited to 24 teams, 18 from Georgetown, two from East Coast Demerara and one each from East Bank Demerara, West Demerara, Linden and Berbice.

According to Mendonca the reason for the reduction in teams is to a bring higher quality of play and intensity to the tournament.

He hopes from next year to have play-offs in the respective zones to select the final 24 teams.

Likewise, Guyana Football Federation Technical Director Ian Greenwood was on hand and expressed his delight of the success as it presents a perfect plat-

form for them to scout the future of Guyana’s football.

Greenwood also stated the federation will be offering technical assistance to schools for this tournament and coaches can contact the organisers who will then refer them to the federation as they hope to conduct seminars prior to the start of the tournament on January 27.

Ministry of Education, Allied arts Division Nicholas Fraser also gave glowing remarks of the tournament and the impact it has been making. He applauded the organisers for the expansion, since reaching more schools in the effort to balancing physical education with academics is vital.

Additionally, Brand Manager Christel Vansluytman explained that this is the eight year the company has support the tournament but six years under the Milo brand. Vansluytman urged patrons to keep supporting the brand of Nestle products as it is the only way they will be able offer this type tangible support for sports or other social initiatives.

She maintained tournaments like these help in students finding a balance between sports and academics.

General Manager Jonathan

Secondary, Chase Academy, Dolphin Secondary , Lodge Secondary School, Maes Secondary, Masters Academy, Morgan Learning Center, Pure Masters, Queen’s College, Queens Town Secondary, School of the Nation Secondary, Sir Leon Lessons, South Ruimveldt Secondary, St Roses High School, Tutorial Secondary, Buxton Youth Development, Annandale Secondary, Friendship Secondary, Uitivulgt Secondary, Vrymans Erven Secondary, C h r i s t i a n b u r g Secondary.

(Akeem Greene)

The tournament which caters for Under-18 students has seen a vast amount of talent showcased over the years

Beepat, voiced that their support will continue as it has become a family to tradition to help society and in this case through sports.

The under-18 tournament will be played on round-robin knock out primarily at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue and concludes with its grand final on March 28.

Teams will be hoping to dethrone three-time champions Chase Academic Foundation and secure the first place prize of $500,000 which goes towards a school project. Second to fourth, will receive $300,000, $200,000

and $100,000 respectively which also go towards school projects.

The participating schools are : Carmel

Petra Organisation CoDirector Troy Mendonca

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

FRIDAY, january 19, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

CWI/Digicel Regional 4-Day Championship 2017-18

Reifer blows away Red Force Pg 23

– Hemraj hits rapid 72 Raymon Reifer celebrates his fourth five-wicket haul against Red Force on Thursday

Milo Schools Football growing from strength to strength – Mendonca …6th edition kicks off January 27

Pg 23

Six years! Petra Organisation Co-Director Troy Mendonca and Beepats Milo Brand Manager Christel Vansluytman hold the championship trophy in the presence of other stakeholders and company officials at the launching of the tournament on Thursday (Akeem Greene Photo)

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